Baby on Board
by kittyface27
Summary: What is in that barrel floating in the ocean? And why is it uneven to hold? When the bored crew finds a floating barrel, they don't expect to find a little toddler in it. They then fall in love with the little boy, but how long can Luffy last on a dangerous pirate ship?
1. Why is He In the Barrel!

**Been trying to make a story with this premise for months but it never went well. But here it is, finally finished and not a piece of crap, in my opinion. I did try to make Luffy cute, but I also tried to make him act like his age accurately. I think everyone will like what I did with Zoro and Sanji later in the fic. Anyways, please review. Enjoy~**

 **Update: Someone pointed out that Luffy doesn't act like a two and a half year old really should. But I made him more vulnerable and pathetic for the sake of the story. And not all toddlers develop at the same pace.**

It was a calm day on the Thousand Sunny. The intense storm had passed and now the crew was on the way to their next destination, which they wouldn't arrive at for quite some time. The temperature was a bit warm for their liking in the morning, but the breeze was nice, so most of the crew were on deck doing various things, except for Zoro who was in the crow's nest lifting his giant weights. Robin was reading, Nami was sunbathing, Usopp and Chopper were playing cards, Sanji was going in and out of the galley to bring food and drinks to his lovely ladies, and finally Franky and Brooke were trying to write a song. Though they enjoyed their activities, things were slightly boring. They'd been doing the same things for quite a while. Plus they were hungry, but Sanji wouldn't give the men any snacks, only the girls. They all wanted something interesting to happen.

Zoro was working out in the crow's nest before he looked outside one of the windows and saw a large barrel bobbing in the calm water near the Sunny. He hoped it was booze (he could use a good drink), so he put down the weights and stuck his head out of the hatch. It was cooler outside; the room had gotten hot and stuffy.

"There's a barrel floating in the water over there!" he shouted down. Usopp and Chopper leapt up, discarding their card game, and ran to the side of the boat as Zoro quickly climbed back down the ladder and onto the grassy deck. Finally something semi-interesting. The others soon went to where Usopp, Chopper and now Zoro were standing, looking over the side of the ship as the ever nearing barrel. It had a hole near the top. Zoro worried about seawater getting in the alcohol he was hoping for. Franky went to fetch some rope to pull it in and up to then to open.

Zoro wished it was alcohol, Usopp and Franky wanted random supplies, Chopper and Sanji wanted food, Brook didn't really have a preference like Robin, and of course Nami wanted treasure. Franky returned with rope and a hook he expertly caught onto the top of the wood, angering Zoro a bit since if it was booze, it would leak and more seawater would taint it.

The barrel was pulled up easily and was soon set down on the deck with everyone around it, excited to open it and see what the mystery inside was. It was not very heavy, but they could tell by the uneven movement that there was liquid inside.

Franky popped open the lid with a crowbar and made a shocked noise and dropped the metal tool. Everyone was in shock and just stood there, looking at the contents of the wooden thing. There was nothing in the barrel that anyone wanted or expected. It was... a little toddler. The barrel was full of water up to his waist while he was sitting down, curled up in a ball. He was shivering and pale, his lips blue. His eyes were a little glassy and Chopper knew at once he had hypothermia. He was already in heavy point so he could look into the wooden barrel and went into doctor mode immediately.

"He has hypothermia. We need to get him inside. Someone grab blankets and a hot compress," he said seriously. He gently picked the toddler up and out of the water and carried him in his arms. The kid was tiny, and it was hard to tell how old he must be. He had unruly black hair and wide brown eyes, slightly glazed. He would have been tan if he wasn't so pale and somewhat blue from the cold. He was wearing a simple red t-shirt and blue shorts, no shoes on his little feet. Chopper briefly was angry he was in such clothes, being in a barrel that no doubt had become cold quickly. Why was he in the barrel in the first place?!

He rushed into the somehwat dusty infirmary, since no one had been injured lately, and made sure not to jostle his little patient. He set the boy on the big bed and put a pillow under his small head and took off his clothes. Robin hurried into the room with a plethora of blankets. Chopper thanked her and piled the blankets on the little one, who was looking at the ceiling, seemingly dazed and out of it. Chopper then asked Robin to warm up some juice in a bottle to warm up the kid from the inside. Robin nodded and quickly walked out of the infirmary to the kitchen, where Sanji was warming up water and putting it in a bottle and going to deliver it with a washcloth as well.

The others were standing a bit away from Chopper and his patient so they didn't risk scaring him. The infirmary was big enough for them to stand at the somewhat shadowed wall and not be seen by the dazed little boy. Brook was blocked from view, since some would find a walking and talking skeleton scary, especially such a young child, who was still shivering with his teeth chattering. It was so bright everywhere, and it hurt his eyes. He had been in the dark compressed container so long that the light was a surprising change. He felt blinded when the barrel's lid had been unexpectedly opened. He hadn't registered the barrel being pulled up the ship. It was just so cold and he was so hungry. The water hadn't tasted good so he hadn't drank much.

Nobody had noticed the glass bottle that was in the barrel with the child. It had been behind him and in the water. It was in the bottom of the barrel, weighed down by its contents.

Sanji walked in with the bottle of warmed water and handed it to the ship's doctor. The reindeer immediately wet the washcloth and put it on the boy's neck. Chopper then asked that someone get more towels. Nami was the one to leave now, passing Robin as she walked into the semi-crowded room with the juice Chopper had asked for. The others continued to try and hide from view as best as the could so to distract the little boy too much. Not that he seemed coherent enough to recognize anything but the brightness.

Chopper got the little one to open his mouth and take some of the liquid. Everyone heard his stomach react with a loud growl. They wondered how long he'd gone without food and water, then becoming worried if he had unknowingly drank the seawater that had seeped into his barrel. That worrisome thought was confirmed when the little one threw up just water, luckily on reflex moving to the side. The water splashed on the floor and he shuddered.

The little boy made a soft whining noise as his stomach made a loud noise again. He was obviously very hungry and probably parched as well.

"Can you feed him, Chopper?" Sanji asked, feeling for the kid. He knew what it was like to be so hungry it hurt. Luckily, in his case, he was old enough to know no water was better than seawater.

"Not yet," the doctor replied seriously as he put the new washcloths on other parts of his body.

It took a little while for him to get warm again and not look so blue and pale and he eventually fell into a deep and quiet sleep, finally warm, inside and out, and on a soft bed and not sitting up on a hard surface. His dark black hair was messy and stuck all over the place and he predictably smelled bad. They'd have to give him a warm bath later.

"What are we going to do with him?" Nami asked Robin, the captain, softly. "We still have quite a long way till the next island," Nami whispered quietly, so she didn't wake up the sleeping toddler. Robin put a hand to her chin.

"We can't exactly take him anywhere else in the open sea. We're going to have to take care of him until we find a place to put him. Do you know anything about the next island? Is it uninhabited or does it have advanced civilization, so we can put him someplace safe, like an orphanage or foster home? Otherwise we need to wait till the island after that one," Robin explained. They weren't just going to leave this poor kid alone.

"I'm not sure. There's not much information about the next island. ..I guess we'll have to hope for the best," Nami replied, then sighing as she looked over to the little boy. "We don't have supplies here to take care of a baby."

"Well, then we have to make some, don't we?" Usopp said. The others nodded. There was really no alternative. Zoro yawned. He hoped he wouldn't have to do much. He would have much rather had some alcohol, not a child they needed to take care of. How inconvenient.

"I can make some toys," Usopp said, actually looking forward to making toys for the kid. He'd never built anything for a child and looked forward to seeing a little smile. He, of course couldn't make toys like action figures, but he could make some simple kids, like blocks. That'd be easy and little kids like playing with blocks, right? So that's what he'd make. He'd done plently of carvings through the years on this ship and the Going Merry.

"I can make a crib," Franky said, also looking forward to making something for him.

"Well, we have another problem," Sanji added to the conversation. "Obviously no one can breast feed him. We don't even know how old he is. If he's really young, it could be bad for him. We have some milk, but it goes bad quickly. There's no way it can last long enough," he said solemnly. "I can make soft liquidy food for him, like yogurt and soup for example. But he's gonna have to settle for water or juice. God, I hope he's potty trained," he finished, taking a drag of his smoke, to be scolded by both Chopper and Nami. Sanji sighed as he went outside to put it out. He was _not_ looking forward to this. It was still nice outside, thankfully cooler inside the ship than the hot breeze out on deck.

"We'll have to make that work," Robin replied back in the infirmary. "Everyone is going to need to pitch in," she said, looking at Zoro, who scoffed. Great. "We need to baby proof the ship. Make it so he can't fall between the railing bars and into the ocean. We also need to make gates on the stairs so he can't climb up or down on them," she said. She knew how such things should work with a baby on board. She'd been on ships with children. Just a few that weren't absoultely vile and violent. Those were the ships she was thrown off of most often. Nobody wants a wanted girl to be around their young child. She found herself slightly looking forward to playing a motherly figure.

"We can make his area the grassy deck. It's flat and large for him to explore," Chopper said helpfully, then looked over to the boy to make sure he was still sleeping okay. "But someone is gonna have to watch him at all times. I wonder what his name is…" Chopper muttered, sounding curious. Zoro suddenly left the infirmary and went outside to check something. There had to be something else left with him or they'd be screwed.

He walked to the open barrel, filled halfway with water, and stuck his hand in and felt around until he felt something solid. He pulled it up and saw a glass bottle with a roll of paper in it and a couple rocks to weigh it down in the water. Hopefully this would help with the situation. He had thought anyone who put a child in a damn barrel had to have some sort of explanation. He trudged across the deck and back to the others.

"Found something else," he said and handed the bottle to Robin, then went to sit against the wall, still close enough to still hear fine.

Robin took the glass bottle and pulled out the cork, tipping the bottle so the paper slid out. She began to read the messy writing out loud:

 _If Luffy is found, which I hope to God he is, I hope this letter will help. Our ship is being attacked right now by pirates, so I'm doing what I hope is best for my child, to give him a chance to live. His name is Luffy and he can eat regular food and drink. He is easily frightened. Please help him and keep him safe. He is all we have left and we wish for him to live on and have a life. Tell him his parents love him._

Then the letter ended. Franky was crying, trying his best not to be loud. They now knew Luffy's parents were dead and he was all that was left. Now most of them were determined to help him. Someone was so desperate to give their child a chance to live that they put him alone out in the vast ocean,maybe to die all alone and never be remembered. It would be like he had never existed.

No one could feel angry towards the person who put him in a barrel anymore, alone out at sea with no food or water. How long he was like this, they could never know. It must not have been long since he was still alive and not dead by dehydration or starving. They all looked sadly towards the bed Luffy was sleeping quietly on.

"I want to take care of him," Chopper said softly.

"As do I," Brook said quietly, saddened by Luffy's situation, like the rest of them. The most of the others in the room all nodded solemnly, and even Zoro felt for Luffy. He wondered just what he had last seen before he was exiled for his own good.

"I'll get to work now," Franky said quietly and walked out of the infirmary, closing the door gently behind him to not make much noise. Usopp left next, followed by Sanji, who said he was going to try and make some soft food for him after he had returned to the room, coming in just as Luffy's mother's letter had been read. He decided to make oatmeal so he had something warm and filling for his first meal in who knows how long. Nami vowed she'd make some clothes for their charge, but wanted to stay in the room until he woke up. The others all stayed in the room, some sitting down while others stood against the wall, all waiting for Luffy to wake up.

Luffy's eyes slowly opened when his tummy growled again. He was so hungry and hot under all the blankets and warm cloths. He kicked his small bare feet and made a somewhat frustrated whining noise, but the blankets were too heavy for him to get off himself. He almost started crying until a orange haired woman came up to him and kneeled so she was level with him, then gently removing the blankets, one by one. His clothes had long since dried and soaked in soapy water to get the salt water out. She gently touched his hair softly, trying to make him calm and relaxed.

A black haired woman came next and gently lifted his upper body up so Nami could put his red shirt back on, followed by his underwear and shorts. They assumed he was potty trained because he didn't wear a diaper, which was a relief. His stomach growled again and he started to cry. They didn't know if he was crying because he was hungry, or if he was scared. Probably both. The note had mentioned he was scared easily. Hopefully the women could calm him and help him not be afraid of them. The men, however, would need to work on this. Especially Zoro and Sanji.

After reading the note, it was decided that Brook and Franky would stay away for the time being, though they both wanted to help him. They knew they must seem scary to some. Brook especially, but they also thought Franky's massive size would overwhelm Luffy at first, as it would to anyone who was somewhat normal.

Robin picked up Luffy slowly and gently, holding him in her arms and smiling down at him. He stopped crying, but his mouth was still frowning with his eyebrows together, looking like he would begin to cry again at any moment. He then stuck his thumb in his mouth, which relaxed his face.

"We're going to get you some food," Nami said beside Robin. The two women left the infirmary, followed by Chopper, who was out of Luffy's view. Luffy sniffled the moment the went outside but didn't cry. The three brought him into the galley and sat him down at a makeshift but sturdy high chair Franky put together quickly. He'd already baby proofed the deck while Usopp was still working on the toys somewhere in the interior of the ship.

Luffy looked around the room, a bit scared. Where was he? The bright lights still made his head hurt a little bit, and there was so much space. He wasn't used to a large area, since his home ship had been smaller than the Sunny. Luffy was given some room temperature juice in a plastic cup with wrap on the top and a straw so it'd be less likely he'd spill it. He tried to wrap his tiny hands around it and drink, but the cup was too big. Luffy frowned but drank when Robin helped him. Both women were sitting on either side of him so in case he fell, they'd be there. And they also wanted to try and comfort him in some way.

The plain oatmeal that was served to him was warm, but not hot. He was able to use a plastic spoon, though he was messy. Thankfully the tray of his high chair caught the stray food. He didn't eat much, but enough that he wouldn't be so hungry it was uncomfortable. He finished his cup of juice and then itched his arms and legs, probably from the dry salt water and a bit of sand.

Robin and Nami had already planned to give him a bath, so Robin picked him up slowly and walked him up to the bathhouse, leaving his mess behind for Sanji to clean up, which he was already not happy with.

Luffy was frowning again, his face getting red like he was about to cry before he hid his face in Robin's chest. Everything was unknown and scary. Where was he? Where was his mama and papa? He wanted his blanky he had at all times, but it wasn't with him. Who were these people? He wanted to go home! He then started to cry at that thought and kicked his little feet, though not bothering Robin at all.

Robin tried to calm him by running her fingers through his dirty hair softly, but he was still crying.

"Shhh, you'll be okay Luffy. Shhh. It's okay," she said quietly, but Luffy was still crying. This lady sounded like mama, but wasn't mama! Where was he?! Nami looked at him sadly.

When they reached the bathhouse, Chopper had already filled the bath with warm water. Luffy looked around. Everything was white, so bright again. The light reflected off the smooth surfaces. He was brought to the edge of the bath and set down on the tile very briefly while the two girls removed their clothes and walked into the water with Luffy. Luffy started to scream and cry where he was almost in the water. It reminded him of the coldness in his previous wooden prison. Robin and Nami could assume that much, but he needed a bath and maybe the warm water would soothe him. The two were right because the moment his toes touched the warm liquid, he stopped crying and was quiet as he was sat in the water gently. It went up to his waist, so it wasn't very deep for Nami and Robin. Luffy stayed quiet as they rinsed and cleaned him with soap. The washed his hair as well. They smiled when he played with the bubbles on the surface of the water as they scrubbed his greasy hair. The hands in his hair felt good. He would have gotten soap and shampoo in his eyes unless one of the women held their hand against his forehead to catch the substances. Luffy was relaxedand surprised when he was suddenly taken out and exposed to the cool air. He whined and wiggled in Robin's grasp until he was dried in a fluffy towel and clothed once again.

Once it was done, Luffy was very sleepy, and fell asleep almost the moment he was in Robin's arms. The two smiled at his peaceful face and left the bathhouse to bring him to their room.

"He's gonna take a nap, so we'll be in our room with him," Robin explained to those in the galley the three had just entered. She adjusted Luffy so if he woke up he wouldn't see Franky or Brook. "Franky did you finish the crib?"

"Ow! I super finished it," he said loudly and proudly.

"Shut up you're gonna wake him up!" Nami whisper/screamed at him. The three walked out of the room before someone else would be loud and wake Luffy up. Thankfully, the toddler didn't wake and continued to sleep soundly, his thumb in his mouth.

He woke up when he was set on the bed and out of Robin's warm arms. He liked this lady. She was nice and though she wasn't mama, she sounded like her. He crawled over to her after she laid down next to him and tried to go back into her arms. Robin and Nami both smiled, becoming fond of him already, even though he cried a lot. They hated hearing him cry, but not because it was annoying. It was hard to see him so upset since they knew what he'd been through.

Luffy eventually was positioned on Robin's chest, actually using her breasts as pillows. She tried not to laugh at it. Sanji would be so jealous. Luffy fell asleep quickly and didn't wake up for around an hour. Robin didn't mind staying in the same position for so long because she just wanted him to not have nightmares after his kind of exile, and if this is how that would work, she was fine with it. She wondered if using the crib would be a good idea after all. If it was no good, she'd ask for her bed to have a railing on one side so if he wanted to sleep with her, he wouldn't fall off the side of the bed and get hurt. Nami smiled, somewhat wishing he liked her like he seemed to like Robin so quickly. But she was happy he seemed comfortable around the two. Both women wondered how he'd react to the others beside Franky and Brook.

When Luffy woke up, his stomach growled. He was hungry again. He expected mama to come and feed him like always, but she wasn't around and he wasn't in her room. This room was different. Then he remembered mama didn't seem to be here. Papa didn't seem to be here either. Maybe they'd come later. Yeah, they wouldn't just leave him alone with strangers.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Did you have a good nap, Luffy?" Nami asked. Luffy didn't really understand what she was saying, he was only two and a half, but he recognized "nap" and nodded. She heard his stomach and said, "Hungry?" to which Luffy nodded again.

Robin sat up and pulled him into her arms and left the room, followed by Nami, who went ahead to tell Brook and Franky to leave the galley for the moment. By the time Robin and Luffy were inside, the two were gone.

"We're going to introduce ourselves to Luffy since he'll be with us for a while," Nami explained, she and Robin had decided while they had a quiet conversation while Luffy was sleeping with his thumb in his mouth cutely.

Everyone introduced themselves. He was fine with everyone, but not really remembering their names, until Zoro. Zoro's grumpy face looked like he was glaring daggers at Luffy, who started crying at that. Zoro was confused. Sanji busted up laughing from the kitchen counter.

"Marimo you're so ugly you make children cry!" he said and continued to laugh.

"Don't glare at him!" Nami scolded. Zoro grumbled and looked even angrier, causing Luffy to cry harder. "Go away Zoro, and work on not looking like you want to kill him," Nami said as Robin comforted Luffy, reminding him he had more juice in his cup. It was a good distraction and he stopped crying. Zoro stormed out of the room, trying to ignore Sanji's laughter, with a red face. What a stupid kid, afraid of him because he looked grumpy.

It was late afternoon when Luffy and the girls left the galley, Luffy satisfied with the carrots he had snacked on. He was brought to the grassy deck and set down. The two women supervised him as he wandered around, looking at things and touching the mast. He was very interested in the view of the ocean as he walked towards the railings. Franky had done a great job baby proofing the area Luffy would be staying. There was no possible way Luffy could go overboard, even if he wanted to. He also couldn't reach the stairs with the wooden gates that were nailed into the railings so it could swing forward when it was unlocked.

After Luffy got bored exploring, Usopp appeared and sat down in front of Luffy, but not too close to scare him.

"Look Luffy. I made toys for you," the sniper said nicely. He handed Luffy a sack full of different shaped wooden blocks. Luffy took the bag and dumped the contents onto the grass and looked at them. He gave a smile and sat down to build things. Usopp grinned at that. He had actually been nervous Luffy wouldn't care. He had worked very carefully and very slowly.

Usopp was about to leave when Luffy pushed some of the blocks towards him, obviously wanting the teen to play with him. It was a heartwarming scene, and Usopp grinned again. He had made quite a few blocks, and they were all sanded smoothly to not give the toddler splinters. Robin watched from her chair and was smiling at what she was seeing. She nudged Nami, who was sunbathing next to her and nodded towards the two playing with the blocks. Nami grinned and then went back to sunbathing, adjusting her position so she could see to the side and watch.

Eventually, Usopp became bored. "Luffy, do you want to see something cool?" Usopp asked, sounding excited for Luffy. The little one looked up at the sniper, but made now impression he knew what he had said. "Ok," he said, as if Luffy had just happily shouted that yes, he did want to see something cool.

Usopp pulled his sniping tools out of his bag and set up one to shoot and make a firework. It flew over board a distance before exploding into little balls of fire. Luffy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was pretty, but very noisy and he hadn't been prepared for it. Instead of either reaction, he attempted to copy the teen. He picked up a block and threw it overboard, only to cry immediately once he realized it was gone. Usopp tried not to laugh, yet didn't know what to do about Luffy's sobbing. He shouted for Robin, who came and calmed Luffy down, putting a block the same shape as the last one in his slightly chubby fingers. Needless to say, Luffy didn't throw anything overboard again.

Luffy went back to his blocks and played by himself, seeming to have forgotten his little episode. This lasted a while, until dinner time. Luffy was a bit sad to leave his blocks, but Robin wanted him to get used to regular meals. She wasn't going to have him sit with everyone else on his first night. She and Nami brought the food made especially for Luffy by Sanji to their room and ate with him. It was also unfair to kick Brook and Franky out of the room to eat elsewhere, though they had a feeling that was going to have to happen anyway.

Luffy ate his whole meal, though it was small and just a watery parfait and a cup of water Usopp had designed to have a real lid, turning it into a sippy cup with two mug-like handles so Luffy could hold it himself. He was planning to paint it the next day for the little boy.

It was dark out by the time they had finished dinner. The two were very happy Luffy was able to eat food besides breast milk. It was very convenient. They were also glad he was potty trained. He'd squirm a lot when he had to go. He still needed their help since they didn't have something small enough to help him himself, but they didn't mind helping him. That's just what you do with a young child.

Luffy had gotten the hiccups and was crying because they wouldn't go away. He cried a lot. There was no way he could ever sleep in the boy's room even if he wanted to. They weren't as patient as Robin and Nami and would eventually make him stay with the women anyway, so there was really no point in trying. One of them making a loud snore would probably set him off.

Robin couldn't get him to calm down because the hiccups were still present, so Nami went to the galley and asked Sanji for a spoonful of ice cream and then returned to her room.

"Luffy, look I have a treat," Nami said kindly with a smile. Luffy's crying subsided and he took the small spoon of ice cream and stuck it in his mouth, forgetting the hiccups momentarily. The hiccups eventually stopped while he was being calm and Luffy became very sleepy again.

When Robin attempted to put him in his large crib Franky had made, he started to cry once again. Robin and Nami weren't surprised.

"Nami, there's no railing on my bed so we should sleep on either side of him tonight. I'll have Franky attach one tomorrow."

Nami was actually very happy to share the bed with Luffy. The bed was big enough for the three, so they weren't uncomfortable sharing. The two women slept on either side of him while he was on his back. The blanket covered all of them. Luffy didn't wake up, or even stir, and slept peacefully.

 **I hope you like it so far! Only five chapters, but 20,000+ words, so don't worry, it's not short. REVIEW!**


	2. Meeting and Rejection

**This chapter is a bit shorter. Notice Zoro and Sanji's emotions towards Luffy. It will be important later. Enjoy~**

They all woke up when there was a soft knock on the door from the outside. Robin got up and opened the door to Sanji, who was carrying two plates of regular pancakes and one plate with a small stack of miniature pancakes. He brought all of them cups of water, including Luffy's special cup.

"I'm having Franky and Brook eat before everyone else so Luffy can come in and get used to everyone together," Sanji said before he left, closing the door quietly.

"I feel bad for them," Nami said sadly between bites of her pancakes.

"Yes, so do I. But we do not know how Luffy will react. I don't want to scare him badly on his second day. But it's not fair to Franky and Brook. Maybe in a few days we'll introduce him to Franky, and if he does okay with him, we'll try Brook," Robin replied, still watching Luffy as he ate. He ignored the wooden fork after Robin cut each pancake into small pieces and ate them with his small fingers. It didn't cause a mess since there was no syrup on the bits, so they didn't say anything and let him eat how he wanted.

Even though Luffy had less food, he finished after Robin and Nami. Robin stacked the plates and brought them back to the kitchen to see everyone was done eating. She told them that Luffy might come in soon, so everyone would need to not yell, but act normal. "We want him to get used to everyone as soon as possible," she informed and then looked at Franky and Brook. "I'm sorry, but we still need you two to stay out of Luffy's sight."

Both looked sad and disappointed and left the room. "Zoro, please don't glare at him today," she said, leaving Zoro's face red. Robin left the room as Sanji cackled loudly.

"What happened?" Chopper asked. No one but Zoro, Sanji and the girls had been in the room when Luffy cried at Zoro's face.

"Nothing-" Zoro began to say, only to be cut off by Sanji, who said, "He scared Luffy and made him cry because his face looked grumpy," with another laugh.

"Shut up!" Zoro shouted at him. Chopper and Usopp covered their mouths to not laugh out loud; Zoro gave them the death glare and they immediately lost their desire to laugh and cowered pathetically.

"Now now Marimo, you don't want to make Luffy cry from that face again," Sanji said haughtily. Zoro turned red again, trying to relax his face though he was furious with the cook. Chopper hadn't heard Luffy crying yet.

Robin entered the room with Luffy and Nami. Luffy was walking between them, holding Nami's hand because Robin was too tall to reach his hand with hers. Luffy hadn't wanted to be carried across the deck this time. He still had no shoes and none of them knew how to make shoes, so they'd just have to make sure the deck had nothing he could step on that would hurt or upset him. He did like walking on the grass; the grass between his toes felt nice. He didn't recognize the feeling though.

Robin lifted him up to his high chair and started talking to the others about how luffy had slept and ate. Zoro made sure not to look straight into Luffy's eyes. Only Usopp and Chopper did, and he had no problem with them. He hadn't really interacted with Chopper since he'd been asleep when he was being treated, but in his mind, a teddy bear was walking and talking. He liked Usopp because he gave him blocks and played with him.

Usopp asked Chopper if he wanted to play with Luffy today. "Yeah!" Chopper said loudly. Luffy didn't know what anyone was talking about, but he recognized his name sometimes. He was mostly looking at everyone's faces, trying to see if he recognized anyone from his old ship. It hadn't been a pirate ship, just a ship of friends who could defend themselves against most pirates. They had been happy people, playing music often and making friends with the locals where they would dock. The pirates that had caused Luffy to be left out to the ocean had been strong and in large numbers. He hadn't seen the attack, just his mama put him in the barrel in secret while she bled from the side. But Luffy hadn't known what blood was, and his mama tried her best to not look scared or in pain. She had just smiled and kissed him. Then everything was dark and loud and wobbly. No one heard Luffy crying as he barrel was gently, but quickly, lowered into the water. She was dead before she lost sight of Luffy from the distance. Then the ship sank as it burned. Leaving one lone piece of debris floating alone, accompanied with a baby's cry.

Luffy had been an accident baby. His parents were just a couple on the ship. Everyone loved him once he was born, but for the longest time they didn't think it would work to have a baby out on the sea. If he would cause trouble by being so defenseless, but once the all fell in love with his cute face and happiness, they didn't want to drop him off somewhere like this new crew was going to do. They just couldn't bring themselves to sail on without Luffy. So he turned into their cowardly bundle of sunshine.

Usopp left the room, attracting Luffy's attention. He watched curiously as the guy with the long nose walked out of the room. He came back in only a few moments later with Luffy's sack of wooden blocks. When Luffy saw them, he gave a smile at seeing his toys. He had had blocks on his old ship, but not as many and not as varied shapes that this set was.

"Do you want to play?" Chopper asked. Luffy nodded at the word and squirmed in his seat, wanting off to go play. Usopp saw this before Robin and lifted Luffy out and set him on the floor. He handed the bag to Luffy, who dragged it on the ground behind him as he followed Usopp and Chopper. The three walked to the stairs and picked him up until they reached the grassy deck. Luffy sat down on the grass and spilled the bag's contents out. He immediately started to build. He didn't really know what houses looked like, so he just stacked randomly.

Usopp and Chopper smiled as they started to build with him. It was going fine and Luffy was happy until his large set of towers fell over when his foot bumped them, causing him to start to cry. Usopp and Chopper started freaking out.

"What do we do, what do we do?" Chopper asked Usopp, running back and forth like there was something seriously wrong.

"I don't know! Luffy, you can build it again!" he said, starting to rebuild Luffy's creation as best as he could. But Luffy continued to cry big, fat tears, causing Chopper to run up the stairs for Robin.

"Robin Luffy is crying! What do we do?" Chopper asked loudly and quickly. Robin got up and walked outside to the crying boy and picked him up.

"Luffy, what's wrong?" she asked soothingly. Luffy didn't answer since he didn't recognize her words. "Shhh you're okay. You can keep playing," she said kindly. Luffy's crying turned into sniffles before he was set back down and picked up his blocks again. Usopp and Chopper relaxed with a sigh of relief. That was scary. They didn't like Luffy crying one bit. The rest of the time they played was quiet, but Luffy was happy again, which was enough for his two current playmates. As long as he didn't cry again.

Two days went by with Luffy gradually interacting with the others. He stayed away from Zoro the most since he always looked grumpy. Zoro didn't care much. He didn't want a baby on the ship in the first place. And Luffy's constant crying was annoying the hell out of him. He liked sleeping on the grassy deck but now it's the baby's playpen, and every time Luffy tripped he'd burst into tears and only Robin or Nami could help calm him. The two enjoyed taking care of Luffy, but they both looked tired. Well that's what happens when you take care of a baby. With Luffy afraid of him, he didn't need to help at all.

Sanji had not really spent much time with their newest crew mate, but he enjoyed cooking new food. He'd never cooked for a child much less a toddler. Luffy didn't smile much still. He assumed it was because the kid missed his dead family. He only smiled when he was playing games. Sanji had watched him play with a rubber ball with Usopp and Chopper, and he smiled then. Then he promptly fell on his face and started crying, the ball and game forgotten.

Sanji was annoyed when he cried in the galley since Sanji basically lived in there, but he tried not to show it because Luffy was only two and a half (and he didn't want to unimpress the ladies). That's how old they'd decided he was. It was a bit difficult because he was so small, but they took in various clues and came at that age. Babies cried. It's a fact of life, which is why Sanji tried to not get annoyed.

The only way he was able to calm him by himself was to give him treats, which was basically bribing him, and Sanji didn't like that. He also didn't like he was barely allowed to fight with Zoro since it made Luffy cry whenever he was around. AGAIN. Though he enjoyed seeing Nami and Robin happy, Luffy was an inconvenience. He was also a bit irritated that Luffy restricted where Sanji could smoke. A small part of him felt bad they'd just be pawning him off to be someone else's problem, but there is no place for a baby on an infamous pirate ship.

Brook and Franky still hadn't been introduced to Luffy yet. They were soon tiring of hiding from everyone because Luffy was present. Robin had asked Franky to put removable railing on the sides of her bed. Franky was a little peeved that Luffy didn't sleep in the crib he took a lot of time and effort to make, but it couldn't be helped. The railing was done before the second night of sleep. Luffy slept next to Robin each night since he had been found.

Brook was especially sad that Luffy might be afraid of him. He actually hadn't been around children for over fifty years. He hoped Luffy wasn't afraid of him, but the boy had been terrified of a small spider that walked across the deck in front of him, crying and screaming in fear of the little thing. He knew Luffy would probably be more afraid of Brook than Franky. Kids loved Franky because he looked like a robot. Luffy was too young to know what a robot even was, so there really was no telling what his reaction would be.

The third night, Luffy ate with the others for dinner after Franky and Brook left the room. He ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He had to drink a lot of milk to down the thick peanut butter. Usopp had painted his special cup red for him. Luffy had been happy, showing a rare smile. Those rare smiles started popping up more often around the others besides Zoro and Sanji. The two weren't very bothered by this and tried their best not to be involved with little Luffy.

Robin decided that the next day, the fourth day since they rescued Luffy, Franky and Brook would be introduced. The girls went to bed with Luffy and woke up early the next day. Luffy went to bed early and woke up early. He was afraid of the dark, so Robin hadn't been on watch for a few days. According to Nami, they still had just a little under a week before the next island. Robin, Nami, Chopper and Usopp were quickly getting attached the Luffy, which Zoro and Sanji weren't happy with. Once they dropped Luffy off somewhere, there would obviously be a lot of whining and sadness involved.

Luffy was carried to the galley, still a bit sleepy, and set down in his chair. Sanji made him cereal and the last of the milk supply while the others were served waffles. Luffy didn't mind and, thankfully, didn't complain when he didn't get the same meals as the others. Once he was done with his food, he finished the water from his special cup and popped his thumb into his mouth. Sanji said nothing, but the germs that were being spread on his table bothered him. That's why he wiped it down after Luffy ate.

"Luffy," Robin began, getting the boy's attention. "We're gonna show you two more people." Luffy, of course, didn't know what she was talking about. He only recognized when she told him not to be scared. He'd been told that countless times by his mama and papa because he'd get scared easily. He was afraid of his own shadow sometimes. He blinked once at her words and then nodded his little head.

He watched the others as they got ready for the introduction. They were unusually quiet while they ate, waiting for the other two to finally come. Franky was first. As he walked in slowly, Robin reminded Luffy to not be afraid. When Luffy saw Franky's massive size he shrunk back into his chair a bit. He looked so much bigger than Luffy's tiny body. Franky did his best not to frown at his reaction. Luffy's lower lip trembled as Franky sat down. But he was afraid. What was this thing? It was big and walking. He hadn't registered it was another person. He put his hands over his eyes, but didn't cry. Franky sighed in disappointment at the little guy's reaction, but ate his food.

After everyone had finished eating, Luffy still had his hands over his eyes.

"Hey, Luffy," Franky said quietly and calmly. Luffy heard a voice he didnt recognize and looked around. He still couldn't tell Franky was a human being. Franky waved at him and smiled. Luffy just looked at him blankly, trying to figure out this strange thing talking to him. Franky waved again. Luffy waved back, but still looked at him with a blank expression. He was truly confused.

"I bet he doesn't even know you're a human. Well, that's what you get for modifying your body like that," Sanji said conversationally. They all watched luffy as he continued to stare. Franky wasn't sure what to make of luffy's expressions, so he touched his nose and let his hair springout. Luffy was shocked backwards in his chair. He hadn't expected that, like the others hadn't expected him to laugh. It was the first time they'd heard him laugh. More like a tiny giggle, but still. Everyone smiled as Franky smiled in relief and touched his nose again. Luffy touched his nose and was slightly confused that nothing happened to his hair. The others laughed as he touched his head, the frowning because nothing had happened.

"It's only me Luffy. No one else can do it." But Luffy continued to press his finger to his nose. He surprised everyone by crying about that. He was upset nothing happened to his hair. Franky laughed. "He's a strange one," he joked. The others chuckled while Robin comforted him and calmed the tears. One down, one to go.

Chopper jumped off his chair and ran outside to tell Brooke he could come in.

At first Luffy didn't register Brook, but once he was in Luffy's field of view, Luffy reacted predictably and hid his eyes once again, bursting into tears at the scary thing that was walking towards him. Everyone looked at Brook sadly, but didn't ask him to leave. Luffy would have to get used to the skeleton if he was going to stay on this ship. Luffy got louder and louder, tempting Zoro and Sanji to leave the room. One of these times, one of them would snap and make it worse. The two had just not been around children much. Most of the time Sanji had been around little kids was in the restaurant, when they were crying and disrupting everyone's meals. Zoro had never been around children in general. The two weren't as patient with Luffy right now.

Robin frowned at Luffy but no one could blame the kid. They were all afraid when they first saw Brook. It was just different this time because there would be no explanation Luffy would be able to understand as to why Brook existed or what he even was. Robin picked him up out of the highchair and held him against her chest. She rubbed circles against his back, in a yellow shirt now, since Nami had put together a few shirts for him, and shushed him softly. But he didn't stop crying, so Robin took him out of the room, sending an apologetic expression to the musician. Brook wasn't very hungry anymore.

Everyone else looked at him with sympathy. Chopper pat his back. "Maybe try playing music for him?" the reindeer offered, trying to help. "Try the violin." Brook nodded and left to get it, abandoning his food. Sanji knew he wouldn't be eating at the moment and put his breakfast in the fridge.

Outside, Robin was trying to calm Luffy down, who just sobbed louder. She was sitting with Luffy on the deck outside the galley. Sanji eventually walked out of the galley and handed Luffy a spoonful of ice cream. Luffy looked at it but didn't take it like he usually did. There was a collective sigh drawn out in the room.

When the rest of the crew didn't hear Luffy's cries subside, Usopp decided it was time to give Luffy his newest toy. He left the table and went to the men's quarters and brought his creation outside and to the two trying to calm the little boy. Usopp walked right up to him and crouched in front of him.

"Luffy I have a present for you," he said kindly and cheerfully. Luffy looked at him, but still crying. "Do you want to see it?" Luffy didn't answer, so Usopp handed him the brown teddy bear he designed. It was crude and messy, but good for a first time. Luffy's crying got quieter until it turned into sniffles and he took the bear. He moved the limbs, which were sturdy and didn't tear when Luffy pulled on them. He made Robin and the other two men smile when he hugged it.

"Luffy, Brook is a nice man," Robin said, looking straight into his eyes. Luffy held his new bear and turned to Robin and lifted his arms to be held. Robin stood up with him and bounced him like a young baby and he stuck his thumb in his mouth. The sniffles stopped completely and he relaxed. He then looked up and around when he heard music being played softly. It made him feel sleepy, even though he had been asleep not so long ago. As the violin music continued, he became sleepier until he nodded off and, still holding his new bear, slumped against Robin's chest and dozed peacefully.

"Well that's not what my intention was, but at least he's relaxed now," said Brook, coming out from the shadows. "I guess I'll try again later," he said sadly, holding his violin at his side. Sometimes he truly hated being a skeleton. He made constant "jokes" about it, but really he was convincing himself he was happy to be this way. That was not how he had been feeling recently.

"We can't have him avoid you forever. He's just gonna have to get used to you if we're all going to be on the same ship," Sanji said, rististing a smoke. He couldn't smoke indoors or around Luffy anymore. He turned back to the galley and walked away, leaving Robin, Usopp and Brook around the sleeping child.

"I think he deserves a nap," Robin said quietly. She didn't really feel like going back to her room, so she walked to the grassy deck and sat on her chair with Luffy in her lap. Usopp left to go back into the galley, followed by Brook,who was sulking, his eye holes downcast.

Luffy dreamed of his family and the other's that had sailed with him. He was still waiting for them to come and pick him up. They were taking a long time. He liked Robin and his toys, but the moving skeleton really scared him. He wanted to go home now. He'd had enough of this place. The days in the barrel felt like a dream. Not a happy one, but like he was never put in it and left to sea. He just ended up here somehow. But he really was tired of it. He was definitely ready to go home now.

He woke up, part of him expecting he'd be sleeping next to mama like he always did, but it was just Robin, the nice lady. He said his first words she'd heard, and it broke her heart.

"Go home," Luffy mumbled. "N'go home." Robin smoothed his slightly greasy hair back. He needed another bath. She couldn't bring herself to tell him that home was gone. He'd be devastated and might hide from Robin or do something reckless.

"I know Luffy. But you can't go home right now. You have to stay with me," she said, feeling awful since he wouldn't be staying with them long. He'd be passed to someone else again. He'd be uprooted and have to start over somewhere soon. Again. She hoped that they could find him a place to be at the next island. She didn't want him to grow too attached to them and vice versa. She already didn't want to get rid of him, but she knew it would never work to raise him on their dangerous pirate ship.

Luffy frowned at her words and put his head down. "Mama…" he whined. Robin played with his hair again.

"Are you ready to go back inside?" she asked. Luffy didn't understand her, but started squirming as she walked with him back to the galley. Luffy had woken up in a bad mood. He wanted to go home but Robin wasn't letting him. He whined as he tried to leave her arms, but she held him tight enough that he couldn't get out of her arms by himself.

No one was in the galley at the moment besides Sanji. It had only been around an hour since Luffy had fallen asleep, but everyone was someplace else. The only person they could see outside was Zoro, who was taking advantage of Luffy's nap and napping on the grassy deck himself.

Robin sat Luffy down in his chair and handed him his cup, filled with juice. Luffy glared at Robin, more like pouted, but took the cup anyway, still needing some help to drink through the straw.

Sanji noticed Luffy's demeanor and asked, "What's wrong with him?" as he cleaned dishes and wiped down every surface Luffy had touched. He was also organizing the refrigerator where Luffy's food was and where the others' food was to be kept. Luffy's area was very small, since he didn't need much to fill his small stomach.

"He wants to go home and is angry I told him he had to stay with us," Robin sighed sadly. Sanji frowned as well, feeling bad for Luffy. There wasn't any real way to explain to him that his parents were dead. He probably couldn't grasp the concept of death yet. They all wished he didn't have to. They wondered what kind of place he was being raised before. What kind of ship was it and what were the people like? What did he eat, what did he like in general? What was his routine and was he happy there? They would never know these things, and could only hope his life there had been a good one, though short.

Luffy was given a small cup of plain cereal, but he wasn't hungry. He just played with his bear that he hadn't let go of since he woke up. It didn't have any eyes yet, but that didn't bother him. But it did make him miss his old giraffe stuffed animal and his blanky. Neither Sanji nor Robin were paying attention to Luffy at the moment when he started crying quietly. It wasn't a melt down cry like usual. It was just plain despair he felt. He wanted to go outside and sit by himself and cry. And he didn't want anyone to bother him while he did so. He didn't want ice cream shoved in his face or to be held. He squirmed in his chair again.

Robin looked down at him after noticing his movements. She ran her fingers through his hair while he cried, but he pushed her hand away with his small ones and continued to cry.

"Outside?" she asked. Luffy nodded to the word. "Sanji will you get a picnic blanket?" she asked as she picked Luffy up and left the room. Sanji left, leaving his cleaning supplies out on the counter to go get a large blanket from Robin's request from the linen room.

Luffy was brought to the deck and set down. He instantly walked away from Robin to his bag of blocks. He wasn't crying anymore, but still felt very sad and lonely, even though he was surrounded by people who were nice to him.

The grass between his toes didn't make him happy at the moment. That wasn't how he remembered home feeling. It was foreign. This ship was too big. He couldn't see everywhere easily. His old ship was a bit cramped, but because of that, he was near his whole family more often. Proximity had been comfortable with them. And he missed it.

Nami came out of the library after working on a map and saw Luffy playing by himself with a sad look of his face. She was going to walk over to him until Robin called her name and shook her head when the orangehead looked to her. She nodded and didn't approach Luffy, but went to where Robin was and sat next to her.

"Whats wrong with him?" she asked, watching Luffy stack his wooden blocks absentmindedly, obviously thinking of other things as he did so. The block tower even fell, but he didn't cry, didn't even notice it at first.

"He woke up in a bad mood because he wants to go home. I told him he had to stay with me and he got frustrated. I so wish we could bring him to his home, but they're gone. Part of me hopes he won't remember his family as he grows up. It would be easier for him," Robin sighed. Sanji came out with a blanket and laid it down next to Luffy with a smile on his face. Luffy got up and moved the few inches to be on the blanket, dragging all of his blocks with him. He stopped playing and watched as Sanji left, only to provoke Zoro, who had woken up from his nap.

"Don't go bothering Luffy with your face, he's upset already," Sanji said to him with a smirk. He wasn't going to let that incident go. It was too golden a moment to use as an insult.

"What did you say you shitty cook?" Zoro growled. He looked scary, but Luffy just continued to watch them. He was a ways away from the two, so their loudness wasnt upsetting him. He watched as Sanji brought his leg up and Zoro unsheathed all three of his swords. Luffy was confused when he stuck one in his mouth. Then the two men started fighting, Zoro swinging his swords expertly and Sanji dodging each one, trying to kick Zoro. But Zoro dodged as well. This went on until Nami screamed at them to stop or she'd beat the crap out of them.

"Yes, Nami-swan! I'll go make you a drink," Sanji swooned and left the scene like it never happened. Zoro huffed angrily and sheathed his swords, sitting down to resume the nap Sanji had rudely interrupted. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, not noticing the littlest crew member watching him in slight interest.


	3. Two New Friends

**Remember how the "monster duo" had acted before. Hope I made them seem somewhat in character. Enjoy~**

Luffy had never approached Zoro because he looked scary sometimes, but he was a bit sick of being smothered by Robin at the moment, so he decided he'd try and get closer to Zoro. Maybe he was actually nice. He also wanted to see the silver things swing around again since they were pretty when the sunlight hit them.

Luffy picked up three blocks. Two long rectangle ones and one long, thin cylinder one and stuck the cylinder in his mouth. He walked over the Zoro, who was back to sitting down. The green haired teen opened his eyes to see the toddler standing in front of him with a block in either hand and one in his mouth. Zoro couldn't help busting up laughing.

"What are you doing?" he asked Luffy, whose response was to wave his arms around wildly like he saw Zoro do not long ago. "That's no good. You have to do it more graceful," Zoro said. Of course Luffy didn't understand what he was saying, so Zoro decided he'd demonstrate. He didn't unsheath his swords, which made putting Wado in his mouth a bit awkward, but he didn't want to risk injury with Luffy so close.

"You go like this," he said through his teeth, and held both sheathed swords up on either side but in front of him. Luffy dropped his blocks a few times trying to get in the position, but finally did so and looked up to Zoro, who nodded in what Luffy assumed was approval. "Next, like this," Zoro said and slowly crossed his arms and bent his back. Luffy was able to copy this fairly quickly. He almost stumbled and fell but Zoro quickly put his sword in front of the boy to support him standing back up. Luffy pushed up against the steady held sword and stood straight again, only wobbling slightly.

Zoro walked him through simple sword poses for over half an hour, laughing while he did so. The kid even tried copying the names of the techniques, but they were just quiet, slurred mumbles that sometimes rhymed with what Zoro was saying.

Everyone was watching the two besides Sanji and Brook, but Zoro wasn't paying attention to them and he and Luffy were facing the sea, so they didn't know they had an audience. Eventually the fun was ruined when Luffy fell on his face and the block in his mouth jammed against his gums and teeth. He started to cry and sat up, holding his mouth after spitting the block out. Zoro, like Usopp and Chopper, wasn't sure of what to do. He awkwardly crouched next to Luffy.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, trying to sound kind. It was difficult. Luffy didn't stop crying, and Zoro wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He didn't want to pick Luffy up because he might drop him. He'd actually never held a baby before, so he called Robin over.

Luffy was still holding his mouth in pain as he sobbed, making Zoro angry at himself because he hadn't been able to catch him again. Why was Luffy so upset every time he fell? He understood this time because he had hurt his mouth, but he was tiny, so it wasn't exactly a very big fall. Robin picked him up and shushed him. Usopp came over from the blanket he'd been on earlier and picked up the teddy bear. He handed it to Luffy, who hugged it and eventually stopped crying.

"Huwts," he mumbled. They assumed he was trying to say "hurts".

"Don't worry Luffy, it will be better soon. Do you want something to drink?" Robin asked. Luffy nodded to the word "drink" and was brought into the kitchen. He seemed to have forgiven Robin for now, having put the moment in the back of his head and focusing on what was happening now.

Sanji looked up from the table he was sitting at, reading a cookbook for food that he could make for Luffy besides the repetitive meals he'd been given, not that Luffy seemed to mind.

"What is it Robin-chan?" he asked. Luffy's eyes were still red and he was still holding his mouth.

"Can you make Luffy a cold drink? He hurt his mouth," she said.

"How'd he hurt his mouth?" Sanji asked as he left the table and walked into the kitchen, bringing out a blender and putting juice with some ice added to make a kind of slushy.

"He was playing with Zoro and fell." Sanji froze at her words. Playing with Zoro? What the hell? He must have heard her wrong. There was no way someone like that grass head idiot would be patient and kind enough to play with someone like Luffy, a clumsy crybaby.

"Marimo was _playing with Luffy_?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Luffy saw you two fighting and went to Zoro and he started 'teaching' him how to use swords, of course with blocks. It was cute," Robin said with a smile. "He fell and the block jammed into his mouth, which is why he was crying and is still holding his mouth." Luffy still did have some of his fingers pressing against his lips, trying to get the throbbing pain to go away faster. Sanji cringed at the germs he'd be leaving behind. He wasn't exactly a germaphobe, but it was very unsanitary. If he had his way, he'd have Luffy wash his hands every time he stuck a finger in his mouth, but he'd end up washing his hands every few minutes then.

Luffy squirmed, wanting to be put down, and then walked to Sanji and kicked at nothing, looking up at him. Robin watched with a smirk. Now it was Sanji's turn to play. She was interested to see what his reaction would be. He could be a lot kinder than Zoro, but it was usually towards women. He could care less about men. But how would he react to a child like Luffy? No one had missed the cook's annoyance and disgust about Luffy's mouth habits. Sanji smiled at Luffy, but no one knew to what extent said smiles were genuine and not put up because he didn't want the little one to start crying.

"Now he wants you to teach him how to kick. Maybe you shouldn't have fought in front of him. Well, if you hadn't Zoro wouldn't have spent time with him," Robin commented. Sanji didn't really know what he was supposed to do. He was busy cooking. Maybe if he included Luffy, he'd wait until later to play and wouldn't start crying in the kitchen and annoy Sanji. But if _Zoro_ could handle playing with Luffy and not getting angry, Sanji could too. There was no way he'd let Zoro win while Robin had that smile on. That smile should be for him! It was bad enough Luffy was hogging all the attention, but he was _not okay_ with Marimo getting positive attention from his lovely ladies.

"I'll play later," he said kindly to Luffy,and then crouched down in front of him like Zoro had done. "You can help me cook now, though."

"Really? He may make a mess of your kitchen," Robin told him.

"Nah, I'll make sure he isn't next to anything that he could spill or break. Will you help me Robin-chan? I don't want to risk him falling off the counter," Sanji said and awkwardly picked up Luffy and set him on the counter to watch. Robin came over and stood next to Luffy as a spotter and spectator.

"First, please help him wash his hands," Sanji said over his shoulder. "Thoroughly," he added. Robin nodded.

"Luffy, first you have to wash your hands," she said nicely and with a smile. She picked Luffy up and walked him to the sink and turned on the water. He knew what to do and put his hands under the pouring water, waiting for soap to be put on them. Once Robin dripped some soap onto his small hands, he rubbed the together until the bubbles were off and rubbed the cloth Robin gave to him until his hands were dry. But he immediately stuck his thumb back in his mouth. Robin tried not to laugh.

"No, Luffy," she said, bringing him back to the sink. "You can't put your hands in your mouth after you wash your hands." His hands were washed again. He was then set back onto the cool counter and didn't stick a finger in his mouth as he watched Sanji put together sandwiches for dinner. Luffy was given a small loaf of bread that was cut in half that was for his own sandwich.

Sanji brought over some ingredients and put then on a plate next to Luffy and his bread. "You have to taste them and find what you like," he instructed to the toddler. Luffy picked up a piece of lettuce and ate it slowly. He did not like it but swallowed it with a face like he ate something sour. "I guess no lettuce then," Sanji said, somewhat amused.

Luffy ate a small piece of every topping he could have and found that he liked tomatoes, cheese and chicken. He hated everything else. Apparently he could be picky when he was allowed to be.

"Now you have to help with Robin's food," he said and Luffy, with Robin supporting him next to Sanji, was moved to the opposite counter and was told what Robin wanted by pointing to it. All he did was put the ingredients in the bun, but that was enough cooking for the little one. He had completely forgotten about the cold drink and the pain in his mouth. Both sandwiches were messy, but nothing spilled on the ground or even the counter, which surprised both adults in the room.

"Time to go back outside, Luffy," Robin said.

"Wait. He wants to learn how to kick, and I can't let that idiot out do me on something like this," Sanji said fiercely. Robin smirked.

"Luffy, do you want to learn with Sanji?" she asked the little one, who was still sitting on the counter as Sanji put together the last sandwich and put them all in the refrigerator. He brought his eyebrows together, not sure of what she was saying. But Sanji was smiling at him and he did just make something with him. Maybe Sanji was going to be nice. He nodded, agreeing to spend time with him. Robin smiled at him and moved away from Sanji to pick Luffy up. No one but the girls had held Luffy, well besides Chopper that first day and Usopp very briefly, and he was surprised at how light Luffy was in his arms.

Luffy's bear was forgotten on the table as he and Sanji left the room. Robin brought it outside though and set it on the picnic blanket next to his blocks.

The three reached Luffy's part of the deck and Sanji put him down, calling for Chopper to stay behind Luffy to catch him if he got off balance and fell. It was known by everyone Luffy hated falling. That was the thing he cried about most. Second to that was the dark and Brook,who usually watched sadly from a distance.

Chopper came up behind Luffy, a good choice because he was only a bit bigger that Luffy so he wouldn't have to bend over awkwardly to keep Luffy from falling.

"Okay Luffy," Sanji began, crouched once again in front of Luffy and Chopper. "You have to bring your leg up like this, but only a little," he said and slowly lifted his leg up, not too high. Luffy did so as well, and Chopper had to support him from the back with he had gotten off balance already. "Good," Sanji praised when Luffy had lifted his leg high enough. Sanji then taught him how to pull his leg back and forth. This was easy since he already swung his legs when he was held a lot.

Sanji spent a little longer of time with Luffy because he never fell, like he did with Zoro. No one noticed Zoro glaring at Sanji. Swords were better.

Dinner was different that night because now everyone was infatuated with Luffy, even though he could be a pain sometimes. He was happy as he ate his sandwich that _he_ made himself. Robin praised him on his sandwich, confusing the others until Sanji explained Luffy had made Robin's and his own sandwich. They also made sure Franky sat next to Brook and Luffy sat at the far corner so Franky's massive body blocked the skeleton, who said nothing during the meal. Everyone felt for him.

After dinner, dessert caused some of the crew members to be angry. Everyone was given ice cream like usual, except for Luffy, who was given a small apple pie Sanji had baked after the two had "played". It was truly small, it could fit into both of Luffy's hands if he held it in them. It was about the size of a cupcake.

"Wait, why does Luffy get a pie?" Usopp asked angrily. Chopper chimed in he was angry as well. "Yeah! That's not fair, give us all pie!"

"It's a reward for his help in the kitchen," Sanji replied simply as he cleared the empty plates on the table.

"No, it's because he spent time with you! You're just bribing him into being with you more," Usopp accused angrily.

"Usopp," Sanji said calmly, although sounding lethal. "If you don't shut up about the pie, I will take you outside and kick you unconscious. Let Luffy eat his damn pie in peace," Sanji finished, obviously declaring the conversation was over. Zoro just ate in silence, watching Sanji strangely. Looks like Luffy charmed both of them. He looked over to see Robin cutting the pie up into little pieces for Luffy, who looked extremely happy to have special desert.

By the time everyone was done with their food, it was 8 o'clock and getting darker. Robin looked out of the window in the door and saw the sky orange and red.

"It's bedtime, Luffy," she said kindly. "It's gonna get dark out soon." Luffy's eyes widened at the scary word and lifted his arms to get out of his special chair. Robin lifted him up and bid everyone good night. They all said goodnight to Luffy and Robin as they walked out of the door. Robin wasn't going to bed, she was going to sit next to Luffy as he slept and read. He seemed to be fine with that and slept soundly.

"Brook, how about tomorrow we try again. You can't be barred from meals like this. It's not fair. Luffy just has to get used to you," Sanji said while the men got ready for bed. Nami was on watch that night. Brook nodded sadly.

"I'll play some music for him tomorrow. A song that wont put him to sleep like this morning," he replied and got into bed. It was a bit hard for them to fall asleep since they knew Luffy would leave them soon. Part of them wanted to spend time with him while they could, but another part knew that wasn't good for him. He'd get too attached and it would be harder for him to leave. They eventually all fell asleep.


	4. The Storm

**Originally this chapter had been very long and the last chapter before the epilogue, but I felt the end of this one was fine to make a new chapter after, so I divided it into two. Next chapter is a little more serious, but no one dies like in some of my other fics. You're welcome. Anyways, enjoy~**

Nami had fallen asleep in the crow's nest and it was now early morning, the sun coming up. It was cloudy, so the sunlight was muted. It was also windy and the clouds were a dark grey. There was going to be a storm. Poor Luffy.

She climbed down the ladder to the deck and left for her room to tell Robin to bring Luffy to inside the other part of the ship because there was going to be a storm. Luffy was still sleeping, so she gently picked him and his bear off the bed and quickly walked out onto the deck and across the lawn. Nami walked with her and gathered Luffy's blocks and picnic blanket from the dewey deck and brought them inside with her.

After Robin left for the library so Luffy could sleep on something comfortable, the couch, Nami went to the men's room and banged on the door and shouted at them to come inside because a storm was about to start.

The waves were becoming stronger, which woke Luffy up. He was confused about where he was and got scared for a moment until he turned and saw Robin sitting next to him. She noticed he was awake and handed him his teddy bear. He took it and popped his thumb into his mouth. Robin was worried about how he'd react to the thunder and sound of the wind. She wasn't an expert on weather like Nami, but it seemed like it was going to be a nasty storm. She picked up Luffy and held him lovingly, seeming to try and prepare him for something bad by making him feel something good; loved.

The men furled sails and reeled the anchors in and then went inside for breakfast, joined a little later by Luffy and Robin. Once he was sat down, everyone looked at him in worry. How would he react to the storm? They had hoped one wouldn't happen in the short amount of time he was part of their crew.

The crew ate their food quietly, waiting for the worst. After Robin took a sip of her coffee, she announced that she and Nami were going to bring Luffy to the aquarium during the storm because the fish might be a good distraction.

"Or they'll scare the shit out of him," Zoro said, taking a sip of his booze. Usually he didn't drink in the morning (wasn't allowed to), but he could tell that day was going to be a stressful one.

"Better to be distracted by fish, scary or not, than the sounds he's gonna hear," Nami said sadly.

It was only a few minutes after she said that when it began to rain. Even rain scared Luffy. He looked around, hearing the patterning of the rain outside. His brows furrowed. What was that sound? It sounded scary. He picked his teddy bear up from next to his cup of water and hugged it, but didn't cry.

"Can someone get a thick blanket?" Robin asked as she started to pull Luffy out of his seat. Sanji left into the hall to the linen room and came back with a thick and fluffy duvet that had been washed a few days ago but not brought back to the couch in Nami and Robin's room. Robin walked out of the room with Luffy, Sanji following with the blanket and Luffy's bag of blocks as the three headed to the aquarium. There were no windows in the room to the outside. Only the wall of glass between the aquarium's water and the interior room. Luffy was momentarily distracted by the fish, but the rain got louder and he could still hear it, even though there were no windows. He gripped Robin's shirt and buried his head in her chest.

Robin sat down on the bench surrounding the room and took the duvet from Sanji and wrapped Luffy in it. Then the thunder and lightning started, but still Luffy didn't cry. Even though the little boy was wrapped in the thick blanket, Robin and Sanji could tell he was shaking. Sanji looked at him sadly and left to get him some candy. Granted, it was Usopp's, but it would be better for now if it helped their newest member not be so terrified.

He Left the room and walked into the kitchen to the cupboard where he kept the sweets. Usopp saw him pulling out his chocolate candy, but said nothing as he left the room with it.

"Guess he's really scared…" Chopper said. Suddenly, at the same time, he, Usopp and Nami got up and followed Sanji. Soon Zoro and Franky left as well, Zoro leaving his bottle of beer, which still had more left, on the table. Brook was now the only one in the room, but he wanted to help as well. He had brought his violin into the galley for this reason, in case his music was needed, and followed everyone else. He opened the door and stood next to it outside the room, so luffy wouldn't see him, and played upbeat but relaxing music.

Luffy didn't accept the candy offered to him by Sanji. He didn't even look up from hiding his face in Robin's chest and couldn't tell everyone else had entered the room. He was too scared to register anything besides him, Robin and the scary noises. The booming happened again and Luffy let out a quiet whimper, gripping Robin's blouse as he buried his face deeper into her bosom.

When he did look up, it was at the aquarium over Robin's shoulder, at the completely wrong time as a barracuda swam up and ate a smaller fish, exposing its teeth. Luffy whimpered at it and hid his face, finally starting to cry. Nobody missed what scared him.

"Who put a fucking barracuda in the tank?" Zoro demanded angrily. Usopp didn't want to say it was him, so there were no voices in the room after he asked. "Seriously, what the hell…" he muttered when he got no response.

When the thunder got louder and the ship rocked a little, Luffy started to sob so loud it was more like screaming, trying to block the sound of thunder with his own wails of terror. Nobody really knew what to do to help him that wouldn't make it worse, so Robin did the only thing she thought might help and sang a lullaby. Luffy still cried. The thunder was louder than Robin's singing. Even though it didn't seem to be working, she kept singing to him.

"Do we have any earmuffs or something?" Franky asked suddenly. If they could dull the sounds, maybe he'd calm down a bit.

"There are some in our room," said Nami. "But we can't get to it…" she said sadly, until Zoro and Sanji stood up and walked out of the room without saying a word. They didn't even argue about one of the other staying put. The two walked past Brook, who was still playing his music in the hall.

"Try playing something soothing," Sanji said as they left the skeleton behind.

The wind and waves were crazy outside. The whole ship was creaking by the force of both. The rain was pelting down on the deck, obscuring their sight. The two could only brace themselves and head straightforward. Even though they couldn't see, they obviously knew where the girls room was. It was a struggle to stay upright and not fall off balance and be swept into the sea, where no one would be able to save them.

When they finally reached the other side of the deck, they pulled the door open with difficulty and rushed inside, the wind slamming the door behind the two. Sanji said nothing about being in the girls room as he opened the closets. Neither had asked where the earmuffs were, they had just left. Zoro wasn't respectful towards their clothes as he raided the dressers and pulled things out, tossing underwear around him. He didn't give a shit about it at the moment, and probably wouldn't even if it was calm outside and he was in no hurry.

Sanji finally found the object they were searching for in the vanity dresser's top drawer.

"Found it!" said Sanji. He looked over to the mess Zoro had created and frowned at him. "Really?" he asked with his brow raised.

"What? We're in a hurry. You're _not_ going to tell me to clean this shit up," Zoro said to him challengingly. Sanji just sighed and walked past him and out of the room. Zoro didn't look back as he left the mess there for the girls to find later. Oh well.

Sanji had trouble keeping the earmuffs dry in the storm, even when he shoved it into his jacket. All of the two were soaked. There was no point getting a change of clothes since they'd just get wet on their way back across the deck. Zoro slipped on his side but with inhuman reflexes, pulled out a sword and jammed it into the deck to keep him from falling over the side. Franky would probably get mad at him later, but better that than Zoro falling overboard. Sanji didn't see Zoro slip because the rain restricted visibility so much and he couldn't hear the sword stabbed into the dirt and wood over the thunder and pelting rain. Zoro brought himself back up and did something that would piss of Franky and Usopp even more. He jammed his two swords into the deck as holds to keep him upright from where he had almost fallen all the way to the other side of the deck.

Finally they made it to the galley door and ripped it open, Zoro not far behind his rival, and slammed it shut behind them. Both men were soaking wet and dripped water around the ship to the aquarium. They heard Luffy's howling from the far end of the hallway. He was doing his best to drown out the sounds of the storm, but his throat must have started to hurt.

"Are you guys okay?" Chopper asked them. They were both shivering and soaked to the bone.

"We're fine. There's a mess in the girls room though. Wasn't me," Sanji said as he walked to Luffy and Robin. He gently set the ear muffs around Luffy's head and adjusted the size until it was small enough to fit snugly over Luffy's small head.

The noise was so loud and scary! Usually during storms, his mama's friend had him eat white candies that didn't taste very good and he'd fall asleep and wake when the world was quiet again. Why weren't the nice people giving him the white candy? Suddenly all the sounds quieted and he felt something around his head. He stopped crying loudly, but still couldn't hear the rain or thunder. The booming sound was gone and the ship was rocking like a rocking chair. The only noise he was making was sniffling as he came down from his wailing and screaming. He stuck his thumb in his mouth but continued to shake. He couldn't stop it and didn't notice that it continued.

"What did you do in my room?" Nami demanded from Zoro, but then silenced when Robin told her now was not the time. Luffy was now quiet and snuggled deeper into the thick blanket on top of him. Everyone sighed in relief. Partly because they were happy Luffy felt better, but also happy his wailing had stopped. It had been hurting their ears.

Eventually Luffy fell asleep, and everyone talked to each other quietly, despite the earmuffs keeping all noise down for Luffy. There wasn't much to do in the aquarium, and Usopp had accidentally left his cards in the men's room.

Now that Luffy's meltdown had subsided, Nami felt she could talk to Zoro. "What mess did you make in our room?" she questioned harshly. Zoro remained silent. Sanji was the one who told Nami what had happened.

"He pulled everything out of your dresser and threw it on the floor," Sanji said quietly. He smirked a little, thinking Zoro would get in trouble, until he was scolded by Nami for letting Zoro do that. "Well, Nami-san we were in a hurry. I couldn't watch what he was doing while I searched for the earmuffs," he reasoned.

"If you two had waited a second, I would have told you where they were," she reprimanded angrily.

Luffy was asleep for awhile during the storm. Brook had come inside since the little one who was afraid of him was now sound asleep and couldn't be bothered by his presence.

"It's no fair you two hogged Luffy yesterday," Franky said irritably. He wanted to show Luffy something he'd made for him, but he didn't have time between Luffy's meals, naps, time playing with Zoro and Sanji and time spent with Robin and Nami. And also between his irritable times yesterday.

"Hey, he approached us. Not our fault. Besides, you shouldn't get too attached," Sanji said, sounding a bit like he was convincing himself. The others felt for that tone of voice. He sounded disappointed as he sat on the floor next to Nami, who looked to him in sadness as Sanji looked at his hands resting in his lap.

He and Zoro had discarded their soaking shirts long ago and had left to get towels. Now their upper bodies were dry, but where they sat, puddles formed under them, but they had no way to get new pairs of pants with the storm continuing to rage.

Luffy slept for the duration of the storm, curled up in a blanket on Robin's lap, the earmuffs tightly gripping his head and keeping his world quiet and peaceful. He had thankfully stopped shaking in fear.

By the time he woke up, the storm was over and only Robin and Nami remained in the aquarium. Luffy felt the thing around his head with his small soft hands with curiosity and confusion. Everything was quiet, he couldn't even hear what the nice ladies were saying. He started to panic that he couldn't hear anything and made a scared noise in the back of his throat, alerting the two women that Luffy was now awake and ready to have the earmuffs off. Nami gently leaned over to him and pulled the thing of, bringing him back into the world of sound.

Luffy was a little shocked to have all sound back after everything being silent, but he hadn't liked everything being so quiet. Then he remembered the storm. He'd fallen asleep, meaning they had given him the white candy. Boy that storm was scary. He was also feeling very hot and sweaty, and realized he had a thick blanket wrapped around him. He tried to untangle himself from the fabric, but had difficulty, so Robin easily removed it and set it down on the seat beside her.

Robin kept his attention to her as best as she could as she and Nami finally left the aquarium. They didn't want him to witness a fish eating another fish again. That had obviously scared him greatly. For once he was scared at something that could likely scare others as well.

When the three came into the galley, where everyone was hanging out, the crew all looked up and smiled at Luffy, not knowing if he was still shaken. Brook swiftly left the room. It was lunch time, the storm had only lasted a few hours before it became soft rain and then turned into clear skies.

Robin heard Luffy's tummy rumble and sat him in his chair. He was given simple food, just some brown sugar oatmeal. He didn't complain, like usual, and ate happily, as if that morning had never happened, and to Luffy, it was long ago and didn't matter much anymore. He'd had a nice dream anyways. Not that he could remember what it was about. He just knew it wasn't a bad dream.

Everyone had already eaten besides him and the two girls. The men had done a damage report while Luffy slept and were pleased not much was out of place. One of the ropes had snapped keeping the sail furled, but it was mended quickly by Franky. He was, however, livid when he found the damage to the deck's floor by Zoro's swords. When he was shouted at about it, Zoro told him it was either damage the ship of fall overboard. Franky, for a moment, didn't know which option was worse.

Zoro had then walked away and changed into dry clothes. Sanji followed suit and then returned to the galley to make lunch for everyone. He was thankful everything was securely held in his kitchen so the storm didn't knock anything down and make a mess. He thanked Franky for putting latches on all the cupboards so they wouldn't open on their own.

"I think we need to bring Brook back into the picture. It's really cruel to keep him away from everybody. I know it might upset Luffy, but he needs to get used to Brook even if it will be short term," Robin said to her crew. Everyone agreed and only Zoro didn't nod. He knew it was the best option, but Luffy had had such a terrible start to the day already.

"Chopper?" Nami began.

"Yes?"

"Are there any sedatives Luffy can take that wouldn't mess with him?" she asked. Chopper shook his head. Even if he did think he had sedatives someone as young as Luffy could take, he didn't want to risk something going wrong and damage Luffy for the rest of his life unless he was positive it was safe. Luffy was still developing and one thing could throw someone so young off so badly.

"I'm not comfortable giving him sedatives not specifically for young children. If he took some from his old home, they were more bold. No, I won't give him any medication unless there's a medical emergency," Chopper said fiercely. He didn't want anyone to pressure him about this decision. They knew he was doctor and knew best when it came to medication, so Nami dropped it and no one said anything about it again.

Once Luffy finished his small meal, he sat back and looked around. He wondered where the music had been coming from yesterday and that morning. He couldn't remember much of the storm, but he remembered somewhere had had heard music. Was someone else here that played music?

His attention was brought back as Robin spoke to him. "Luffy, the man you were afraid of yesterday is going to come in. Don't be afraid." Luffy again only recognized "don't be afraid", and he nodded. He couldn't exactly promise something like that, since he was afraid of many things and most of the time couldn't help it. If he was scared, then he was scared. He didn't do it on purpose.

Sanji got up from the table and walked out the door to fetch Brook. He was a little unsure about going inside, thinking what Zoro had thought. That Luffy had been scared enough for one day, but he didn't want to be by himself anymore. He picked up his violin that he'd set down in the hallway and started playing the relaxing song he'd played during Luffy's earlier melt down and walked into the room.

Luffy was given his teddy bear to comfort him when he heard the music again. He looked around and saw Sanji walk in with that scary walking object that Luffy had seen yesterday. But he was able to notice that the music came from that thing. It was very scary, and Luffy's eyes began to water, but he watched and listened to the thing he knew was playing the music. He covered his eyes with his hands but didn't cry.

To the others, it was a start.

 **Poor cowardly Luffy. But he's so cute. Review please! Oh and someone asked how the crew was formed. Magic! I didn't make up a backstory since this fic is mostly fluff. Too much work lol. I didn't even name the crew because I couldn't come up with anything. Come up with an idea for me and I'll drop it in somewhere!**


	5. Bugs and Silent Goodbyes

**This chapter fulfills the drama category I put the story in. It's a bit dark, but don't worry because next chapter (the final chapter) makes up for it. And at the end, I think there's someone people will be happy to see.**

 **Also, I made the symptoms of the bug because I can make it whatever I want. I also briefly researched what the thing would lead to. Enjoy~**

The day seemed to go by quickly. Franky finally got time to show Luffy his invention, which was a mini rocking chair. It was easy and fun to make, and didn't take much time. At first, Luffy wasn't sure what it was and was startled when it moved after he touched it, but then he registered it was a chair, and he knew chairs were for sitting on. He bravely sat in the chair and rocked back and forth with his eyes wide. It felt familiar and he liked it. Now he just needed someone to sit on it so he could be in their lap.

"You like it?" Franky asked happily when Luffy rocked harder with a smile. "That's SUPER!" Franky exclaimed, putting his forearms together, startling the little one. Luffy continued to rock as he put his arms above his head to mimic what the big person had done. His arms aren't long enough to reach properly, but it was cute anyway, and made those on deck smile, somewhat sadly. There were two days left until they reached the next island and the crew knew they were becoming more attached to him. They each felt guilty about leaving him at the first good place they found. Deep inside, most of them wanted the next island to be uninhabited so he could stay with them a little longer. But they each wanted him to grow up in a safe and consistent environment. Not on a dangerous pirate ship like their own. So many things could go wrong with a set up like that.

Robin continued to sleep with him and be near him all day. She'd had never considered or wanted to be a mother, but she enjoyed this. Taking care of someone else instead of only herself for once in a long time. Luffy still cried a lot from small things. Every single time he lost balance doing something he burst into tears, though they were more easily subsided as he got to know the others more. He liked these people, except for the scary walking thing. He didn't run away from Brook, but he closed his eyes when he saw him. He liked the music he played, but Luffy did his best not to look. Brook didn't mind so much. Luffy enjoyed the music Book made, and that was enough. And the fact Luffy didn't scream in terror when he saw the walking skeleton. It was progress in a short amount of time. Maybe Brook would be able to say goodbye to him when they time came without Luffy feeling terror when Brook approached.

Zoro and Sanji continued their "lessons", both now using Copper as a spotter for their activities. The two still weren't good about calming Luffy down when he cried. It seemed only the women were good at that on the ship.

The next day, the day before they reached the next island, Luffy was made another pair of clothes by Nami. She tried to make this one better quality so he'd look nicer when he was brought to someone else. He'd been bathed only yesterday, but they gave him another bath in the morning after breakfast. Brook ate the meal with the rest regardless of Luffy not looking at him. Brook also didn't talk at all. He was still feeling a little depressed Luffy liked everyone but him.

Later, on the grassy deck, Luffy was playing with his blocks happily, taking occasional breaks to go on his small rocking chair just for him and rock happily for a few minutes with his teddy. Franky was feeling proud of his rocking chair. It was almost as special as Usopp's blocks and teddy bear. The little one was content to be all alone while he entertained himself, but the others wanted to spend more time with him on what they thought was their last day with the boy.

Strangely, Zoro and Sanji were the first to come over to him, followed by Usopp and Chopper. They sat next to him, Zoro and Sanji resisting the urge to beat eachother up.

"Luffy, do you want to play a game?" Chopper asked. Luffy looked up from his blocks and recognized "game". He nodded. Usopp happily jumped up and left the deck to get the rubber ball they had. While they waited shortly, Luffy went back to his blocks. They were only messy towers, but Luffy was enjoying himself, so it didn't really matter. There was no reason for him to have to make neat buildings. They crew were still impressed with Usopp's creations for the boy.

Eventually everyone joined in the game of just passing the ball. Of course Sanji and Zoro got in a fight eventually when Zoro "accidentally" threw the ball as hard as he could at Sanji's groin. That messed up the game because the ball ended up going overboard when Sanji kicked it away. Luffy cried, causing everyone to glare at the two monsters on the ship. Both looked guilty. _Good,_ everyone thought as they tried to cheer Luffy up.

There was another ball on the ship, but this one was too big for Luffy, so they played hide and go seek around the ship. Nami and Luffy hid together. Really, Luffy, Chopper and Usopp were the only ones playing. Franky, Zoro, Sanji and Brook all did their own things during the game. The day passed quickly for all of them, and as they bid goodnight to Luffy and Robin before it got dark out, they all felt sad. They were so close to the next island, and might be saying goodbye the next day.

The following day, just after breakfast, Nami called that she could see the island. She couldn't tell from the crow's nest whether it had any cities or ports on it. All she could tell was the island was very green and had a lot of trees. Luffy was napping in Robin's lap on the grassy deck, sitting on a blanket. Her shout woke the sleepy toddler, who yawned cutely and sat up in Robin's lap.

"Did you sleep well?" Robin asked, not expecting an answer, which is what she got, or technically didn't get. Luffy could see from where he was that there was a big green shape on the horizon. He stood up slowly and walked to the far railing to see the island. He'd seen these before. Everyone was always happy when they saw one. At least at his old home they were.

Usually, the crew would be happy they reached land, but for once they weren't, though they knew they needed supplies and this island could help them out. They would basically be trading. Giving Luffy and taking supplies and food.

Sanji brought out a piece of candy for Luffy to put him in a good mood for when they reached near the shore. Luffy wouldn't be getting on the island, he'd be waiting on the ship with Chopper and Robin while the others explore the island and look for civilization, and then for a good home they could leave Luffy to.

The others split up in groups for the supplies they needed, which was mostly food and medicine. Chopper had made a long list of medication he wanted brought back. He'd asked for some children friendly medications in case Luffy where to stay with them if there was no good place to leave him.

Luffy wanted to go on the island too. The nice lady and teddy bear were staying with him, but he wanted to go somewhere else. Maybe mama would be there. He had rarely been allowed to go on an island at his old ship. Someone would always stay with him on the boat since he was still a baby and could get sick easily, not to mention bad guys on the island. It would be hard to defend themselves if someone had to keep Luffy protected in their arms.

Luffy whined when he watched most of the crew leave the ship. He wanted to explore too! Robin and Chopper came up behind him and she picked him up. "You can't go off the ship right now, Luffy. Maybe later," Robin said with a smile. Luffy still wasn't very happy and was now in a pouty mood. He was bored. He enjoyed his blocks but he could only do so much with them. So he settled for watching the forest and the clouds, listening to the sounds of the waves against the coast and the birds and bugs. There was an abundance of life on this island. Robin and Chopper didn't like that. That meant there was most likely no human habitants. Luffy might be staying with them a little longer.

Robin eventually brought Luffy and led Chopper inside once it got humid and the insects were heard louder and were flying around the deck. Luffy itched his small arm and leg.

The crew who weren't on the ship with little Luffy were exploring the island, becoming more and more worried that there was nowhere for Luffy to go to on the island. Zoro hacked the foliage in front of them with his swords. The jungle was thick and they continuously swatted bugs off of themselves. It wasn't a fun outing to say the least.

Though there was no city to buy food they needed to eat, there were an abundance of fruits and animals. Sanji was bummed there wasn't any place to get flour and dough. Luffy had enjoyed his mini pie, and if he couldn't be dropped off here, he had wanted to make him some more food that he liked. The group didn't disperse, some only walked away once Zoro or Sanji saw or was approached by an animal. Stupid animals.

When the crew was half way inland, they knew there would be no home for Luffy here. He'd die instantly if he set tiny foot anywhere on this land alone. Even the bugs would kill him first. They were big and loud. The group arrived back at the ship with natural food and wood Zoro had cut off in case something were to happen and drastic times called for drastic measures. They wished they could have gotten Luffy something new to play with.

Chapter 4

By the time the crew got back, it was late afternoon. They had packed lunches for their exploration and Robin, Chopper and Luffy made their own food. When the group headed into the galley, they saw the no one was in there. The three who stayed weren't in the aquarium or on deck either. The group that had just arrived split up and looked for those that had stayed, finally finding Robin in the library with Luffy sleeping in her lap, cuddling his teddy bear, with a light blanket wrapped around his small body. Chopper was nowhere to be seen.

"How did it go?" Robin asked quietly, so not to wake up the little one sleeping deeply in her lap.

"Well, Luffy's gonna be with us a little longer. There is _nothing_ on this island. It's like Little Garden but with no giants or dinosaurs," Nami explained.

"That's a shame," both Zoro and Sanji said at the same time, then glared at each other, for once trying not to get in a fight; Luffy was in the room. Nami glared at them for interrupting her.

"Anyways, we found mostly fruits. There were a few animals Zoro and Sanji took care of, and we left them on the beach. I think we need to do some more hunting," Nami continued.

"You mean, _us_ hunt," Usopp said as he looked at Nami, who smiled deviously.

"You wouldn't be hunting either," Sanji muttered, causing Usopp to turn red.

"Alright, Zoro and Sanji please go hunting and get some food. Sanji, if there are coconuts can you get some of those?" Robin asked.

"Of course Robin-chan," Sanji replied. Zoro scoffed, but turned around and left with Sanji to go see who can get more and bigger food.

"Nami, how long until the next island?" the captain questioned, still speaking softly.

"Around just a day if I'm correct. It should only take around half an hour for the log to set here," the navigator replied.

"Where's Chopper?" Usopp asked as he looked around, like he'd only just noticed there was no one else in the room.

"I'd have to guess in the infirmary if he is nowhere else," Robin said, running her fingers through the little one's hair. But then she noticed something. Luffy's hair was sticking to his forehead. Her brows furrowed as she unwrapped him from his blanket and adjusted him so she could see his full face, not just the profile. She then became very worried. Luffy's face was red and sweaty. He was also shaking a little bit, like he was cold, though when she felt his forehead he was hot. She immediately stood up with Luffy in her arms and walked quickly to the infirmary, where she was correct that Chopper was in the room.

"Chopper, can you take a look at Luffy?" Robin asked calmly, but very seriously. Chopper was confused, but asked no questions as he turned into heavy point so he could hold Luffy easily. He was breathing a little quickly and was sweaty all over his body, his hair and clothes sticking to his skin. Chopper bit his lip and laid the toddler on the big bed and went to his desk to get a thermometer. The others had followed Robin into the room and waited nervously if Luffy was sick or not. But even seeing him from a distance was enough to show he was not well.

Chopper pulled the thermometer out of Luffy's mouth, who was so sound asleep that he hadn't noticed something being put under his tongue. Chopper frowned uneasily.

"102.1 degrees fahrenheit… someone get a bath ready, not too cold and not too hot. Lukewarm is best. Someone else get his cup with water in it," Chopper instructed. Luffy's clothes were light, so that was fine, though after the bath he'd be best with a new pair of dry clothes. Nami and Usopp had left for what Chopper asked for.

He went to the corner of the room, making sure Robin stayed next to his current patient, and got the revolving fan ready to be used later and positioned it near the bed.

Robin ran her fingers over luffy's skin and saw something she hadn't noticed before. There was a small pink lump on his forearm. It looked like a mosquito bite. She sighed. It was from the abundance of bugs in the air. They shouldn't have brought Luffy outside, but it wasn't like they knew this would happen.

"Chopper, I think he was bitten by a bug," Robin told the reindeer. He walked over and gently handled Luffy's tiny arm, able to fit completely in Chopper's own furry hand. It didn't _look_ like a serious bite, but Nami's bug bite had looked fine yet turned out to be fatal. He decided he should check his young patient's blood.

"I need a blood draw," Chopper stated as he pulled out a clean syringe, the smallest size they had. He wiped Luffy's elbow with disinfectant and slowly put the needle into his skin, hoping to not get a reaction from him. The little boy whined in his sleep, but didn't wake up or cry. A little piece of cotton was then taped on top of the tiny hole.

Usopp came in at the same time Nami did, both having done what Chopper asked.

"I filled the mini tub with water," Nami announced, looking nervously at Luffy's still form. Usopp handed Chopper the homemade sippy cup. "Why'd he have to get sick when we're in the middle of nowhere?" she asked herself quietly and a bit miserably.

Chopper picked Luffy up gently and carried him to the bathhouse, Robin following with the cup of water in her hand. The bath in the bathhouse was much too big to be safe and easy to bathe Luffy by himself, so Nami had filled up the kiddy pool they had gotten because Chopper had wanted to able to take a bath by himself without the worry of drowning. He used it maybe once, but they were all grateful they had it. Chopper gently took off Luffy's homemade clothing and set him in the water he deemed was a good temperature.

Franky and Brook had been there the whole time but had stayed quiet. Luffy woke up when he was slowly set into the water. What happened? He was sleeping and why was he now in a bath? He did feel very hot. It was uncomfortable. And his arm and leg itched. He didn't understand why his hand was gently pulled away from the source of the itching before he could scratch it. He whined quietly. It itched! What was he supposed to do? But then his body relaxed more as Chopper poured some sort of relaxing, powdered herb into the small pool. Luffy was laid deeper into the water, more laying down now than sitting up. All of him was in the water except his head, which was soon adorned with a cool washcloth. He wanted to sleep again. He was so sleepy, and he felt better in the water, so he closed his eyes and fell back asleep, the itches not bothering him anymore.

The spectators and the captain and doctor holding Luffy propped up in the water watched in relief when Luffy fell back into a peaceful sleep. They let him relax in the little tub until the water got cold and they took him out, drying him off gently and dressing him in his clean clothes they'd found him with. His forehead was cooled down, but he was still breathing a little quickly, though not panting as he had been doing beforehand.

He had some water dribbled into his mouth to try and keep him hydrated while he slept after they set him down on the bed in the infirmary. Nami had gone to unattach the railings on Robin's bed and bring them to the bed that now needed them. The others besides Chopper and Robin eventually left because Luffy seemed pretty stable at the moment. Robin was asked to watch the boy while Chopper analyzed his blood.

The blood seemed normal enough, so he was confused about the issue. He was positive Luffy had been bitten by a bug in the arm, so he walked over to him and examined the arm. It had swelling in it now, and Luffy was again sweating bullets and breathing quickly. Chopper gently pressed all over Luffy's bitten arm and heard intakes of breath and cringes when he pushed on a certain area. When the area was pushed on again, a tad bit harder, Luffy woke up and started to cry. It hurt!

Chopper was becoming very concerned and hurried over to his massive encyclopedia of all types of sicknesses and symptoms, looking in the "dangerous insect" area. The book really had everything. Robin noticed his panicking aura and looked to the crying Luffy in worry. She didn't touch his arm as she lifted him into her own. He continued to cry even though nothing was touching the pained area anymore. He was scared. It had only itched before but now it was tingling and very painful.

Finally finding symptoms that seemed to match with both how he was reacting and how he had gotten whatever was wrong with him, Chopper muttered an "oh no…" which Robin heard over Luffy's soft sobbs now.

"What, what is it?" she practically demanded.

Chopper took a deep breath. "I think he has a blood clot. Robin, we need to get him to a hospital. Soon. We can't wait."

Luffy then made a pained noise when Robin readjusted him in her arms and touched his leg. "Robin, put him down," Chopper instructed strictly, which Robin followed and gently set Luffy on his back and didn't touch him again. Chopper ran to the opposite side of the bed and looked at Luffy's leg. This limb was swollen as well. There was another raised lump on the inside of Luffy's leg, where his shorts would hide it. This was worse. Chopper even swore, which he rarely did.

"He has another clot in his leg, which is worse. It can lead to a DVT and then Pulmonary Embolism. Then he could die from a clot forming in his lungs. We need to leave NOW. Tell everyone to quickly change into long sleeved clothes. We don't want someone else to be bitten by this insect. Go now," Chopper said forcefully, sending Robin running for the others. Most were in the galley, and Sanji and Zoro were back with a pile of dead animals on deck.

"Robin-chan look what I got~!" Sanji said, but then turned instantly serious when he saw Robin's panicked expression.

"Everyone change into pants and jackets with the hoods up. NOW, hurry!" she demanded, sending everyone running with her behind Nami. Thankfully, no one else had been bitten. The only bugs that had gotten those who went inland were mosquitos. They all met back in the galley, each having a hood over their head, feeling confused.

"Nami," Robin began, not even giving the others a break to even sit down. "When will the log be set?"

"It's already set. What happened?" But Robin didn't answer her right away.

"Franky get a few coup de bursts set right now," she instructed, causing Franky to sprint out of the door. "I'll tell you what's wrong after a few coup de bursts," she said, and then ran back to the infirmary to tell Chopper to get ready for the burst. Chopper had not wanted to do it, but it was for Luffy's safety that he strapped him to the bed so he wouldn't go flying off and hurt himself. Luffy did _not_ like this and started wailing again, struggling weakly against the bonds with big fat tears falling down his face towards his little ears.

"Shhh, Luffy, it's only gonna be like this for a minute," Chopper cooed softly. Luffy was still crying from being so restricted. Everything was scary right now. He hurt and was hot and now he was trapped as well. He was hungry and thirsty and just miserable. When there were a few sudden and violent lurches and a few things flew off the shelves, Luffy screamed in fear and wet himself, causing him to sob even harder. Everything was so scary. Why?

Robin ordered as many bursts as there could be and Franky was following her order. They finally ran out of cola four bursts later and had covered much of the distance. Now there was nothing they could do but hope for fast wind and good weather. And no marines, pirates or monsters.

Luffy continued to scream and cry even after he was no longer strapped down. Chopper smelled Luffy and could tell the poor boy had wet himself and said sadly, "Robin, please get another pair of shorts and underwear. Luffy had an accident." Chopper ran his large furry hand over Luffy's tiny one to try and comfort him.

When Robin came back with a new pair of shorts, she brought Luffy's bear as well. Once the little one was wiped and changed and finally put back to sleep after Robin sang to him, she had the others come into the room, telling them to all be as quiet as possible. No one had missed Luffy's screams. They were so loud they had echoed throughout the ship.

The others had a million questions, but the one that overrode all the others was "What is wrong with Luffy?"

Zoro and Sanji hadn't been on the ship when Luffy was discovered to be sick, so they were told the story from the beginning, listening seriously, giving no expression away. Everyone were silent as Chopper explained what was wrong with Luffy and why they were to wear clothes that covered their skin while they were still anywhere near the island. Nami and Usopp were both crying as they listened to Chopper explain Luffy's condition. The others were stony faced. Except Franky who had trouble keeping his sobbing silent. He knew his booming sobbs would wake and scare the already uncomfortable and frightened Luffy lying so still on the bed.

"We need to get him to a hospital and fast. I'm not sure how fast things get bad with someone so young," Chopper stated miserably. "The insect that stung him is very rare. I didn't even think it existed any more. It's a very dangerous bug that looks like a bee, only it's red and black with longer legs. Once they sting, they die like bees do, so hopefully there aren't anymore on the ship. There were at least two on the ship at some point. Either way, until we reach the next island, wear long clothes to cover your skin. Luckily, they don't have a very long lifespan," Chopper finished and sat in his chair, letting out a sigh. What a mess this was.

"Why do bugs have to be our downfall?" Usopp asked no one in particular miserably. No one said anything to his comment; they were all thinking it. Well, those who were around when Nami was ill.

"We should move his limbs for him so it doesn't get worse. He might not like that, but it's necessary. It's so hard with him not being able to communicate with us verbally," Chopper muttered. Sanji and Zoro got up first, and, with gentleness no one else knew they had, they started moving Luffy's arms and legs, being careful not to touch anywhere near where Chopper said the clots were. Luffy thankfully didn't wake up from this. The two heard his tummy growl though. Nami took Sanji's place when he said he was going to make Luffy some broth from the fresh meat they had caught.

As he cooked, he worried. Luffy had been just fine that morning, and now because of stupid bug he was deathly ill. Already, that morning felt like a long time ago. He cooked the food caringly and somewhat slowly to make it as good as it could be. He knew they others were giving Luffy water, so he had something to put in his stomach as he waited for his food.

Sanji added some herbs that helped dull pain that Chopper had given him, since Chopper had no pain killers he could confidently give Luffy, and brought the steaming bowl on a tray with a small pile of soft crackers. He had to put the food in front of the fan for it to not be too hot for Luffy. By the time the food was ready, Luffy was awake and looked miserable. When he smelled the food being fanned towards him, his tummy growled again, causing him to whine. He was hungry!

The bed was positioned so he was sitting up more and he was spoon fed the broth, and ate the few crackers slowly. They all waited with him in the room, though Brook left often to check if they were near the island they desperately needed to get to.

Luffy was bored until Nami brought in sticks of wax she'd made from some candles last night and a pad of note paper she could replenish cheaply. Luffy had drawn before, but it was mostly scribbles, which was what he produced now, as he sat up with a tray propped on the railings of the bed across his lap. But he was distracted from the discomfort as he "drew" the people around him. The "picture" was really just seven squiggles that had different sized circles on top of the wobbly sticks. Even Franky was drawn as the same size as everyone else. There were only three colors to use: red, green, and purple. When he was done he handed it to the nearest person, who was Nami. Sadly, Brook was not in the picture.

"Wow, thank you Luffy," Nami said happily. Luffy smiled at his hard work being praised. Though he didn't really recognize too many words, seeing Nami's face as she looked at his drawing was praise enough for him. "Look at what Luffy drew, everyone."

The others in the room looked at the paper Nami held in her hands and smiled. They couldn't tell who was who, but they assumed the seven squiggles were them. They thanked Luffy; even Sanji and Zoro gave small smiles.

Of course this made everyone even more nervous about how Luffy would be. They had to save him somehow. Chopper had talked about how serious this was, and they were scared, but it was a relief to see Luffy was acting normal, though sometimes his face would pinch from moving one of his injured limbs. Yet he didn't cry, which was difficult for him. He hurt, so that means he should cry. But crying hurts too, so that means he shouldn't. He was confused.

Every now and again he'd whimper from the aching feeling, and would complain when his legs were moved in a motion like how you would ride a bike, but he still didn't cry at all. He wasn't so scared when everyone was around him. He didn't pick up on their fear though, which they were glad of.

They reached the island somewhat quickly, since the bursts had covered a lot of distance, but it still had felt like an eternity. They docked the island as close as they could to the city they saw from the water. They were so thankful and relieved. They had a good but at the same time bad feeling about this place. Good because it looked somewhat industrialized, which meant hospitals, but bad because there was a marine ship docked a ways away. There must be a base here, which meant they had to not attract attention. Franky even furled the sails and climbed up the mast to untie the jolly roger. That was their pride and joy, but it was to help their littlest member be safe. They didn't want to be pulled away from him suddenly thanks to marine interference.

Robin carried Luffy in a large makeshift baby cradle Franky had thrown together the other day in case the island was habitable for Luffy, with the others in a protective circle around her and the little one. They walked quickly and asked directions to the nearest hospital. No one saw Luffy in the cradle, and he didn't make noise. He liked the rocking motion and there were fluffy clouds in the sky to distract him. Usopp carried the bag of blocks and Luffy had his teddy.

They finally made it to the hospital and hurried inside and told the reception lady what was wrong. Luffy was rushed inside the ER, with only Robin and Chopper following.

The doctors took Luffy away to be treated immediately and Chopper and Robin were asked many questions. They answered every question truthfully, but tiptoed around the fact that they were pirates. They were lead back to the lobby where the others sat quietly, trying to not attract attention besides the presence of Franky and Brook.

It turned out Luffy had unnaturally quickly developed a clot in his lung from Pulmonary Embolism from that damn bug's venom. Many of the doctors had no clue what bug bit Luffy, and some of them had never even heard of this insect, so Chopper explained it to them before he was ushered out of the room. It was very risky for Luffy to have any kind of surgery because he was so young, and his chance of survival was low. The surgery was done extremely carefully and somewhat slowly. Slower that it would usually taken. There needed to be podiatrists and a plethora of different experienced surgeons to pull it off successfully. But in the end, Luffy survived. None of the medical staff knew how Luffy would be affected mentally from the experience because he had no way to communicate verbally. The doctors knew there wasn't a chance of him recovering quickly. It would, like most cases, take around two years, if not longer. He'd have to be living with someone patient and understanding, also willing to pay for visits, check ups, various medications and maybe even counseling.

By the time Luffy was out of surgery and someone came to get his guardians, the people who brought him here, they were gone. There was no note or message about who they were, where they were going, or when they'd come back. Because they didn't. Luffy was left all by himself in that hospital, recovering from an intense surgery. All that was left was a sack of blocks and a worn teddy bear.

FLASHBACK

" _How is he?" Sanji asked, sitting far from the front of the lobby, when Chopper and Robin came back. Robin sat down and sighed, worried about Luffy. The others felt the same._

" _He developed Pulmonary Embolism quickly, due to the stupid bug bites. He's In surgery right now… they- they told us he had a low chance of survival!" Chopper said and began to bawl his eyes out. Usopp hugged him as he cried as well._

" _How long is the surgery going to take?" Zoro asked solemnly. They couldn't wait long here. Zoro had seen a bulletin of wanted posters posted behind the desk, and it wasn't as if he could just reach over the take it. "We can't be here long, Robin. There's a thing back there with all of our wanted posters," Zoro said quietly, trying to not attract any additional attention._

" _I don't want to leave without saying goodbye. It'd just be wrong," Nami said sadly. This wasn't looking good. Luffy would be here for a while while he recovered. They wouldn't be able to stay that long. It would most likely take years for Luffy to recover, and they didn't have years, no matter how much they wish they did._

" _I don't either," said Robin. "But we knew we'd be leaving him soon. We can't take care of him, even if he had never gotten sick. It was nice while it lasted. We will wait here while we can, but be ready to leave at a moment's notice. There has to be hospital security here, and I'd rather not fight inside the lobby of a hospital."_

" _He's not going to even be able to remember us. He's too young to. It'll be like this never happened. And who's going to take care of him?" Nami asked sadly, her head down like the rest of them._

" _Nami-san there's nothing we can do about that," Sanji said comfortingly._

" _Maybe, maybe not," Usopp said, pulling up Luffy's bag of blocks and a pen from his bag. He wrote his own name on one of the blocks and handed one to each of his crew mates. They all signed their names and put the blocks back into the sack. There was a collective sigh of sadness. Then their head raised slightly._

" _There they are officer. I think they're pirates who kidnapped a child," a receptionist muttered from afar, but Chopper heard it._

" _Oh no… We've been spotted," Chopper said miserably. Everyone turned their heads towards the people talking about them, their faces contorted in fury. They wouldn't be able to say goodbye to Luffy, the little boy they all fell in love with. They'd just be leaving him here, alone, with no place to go. Nami slipped a very large wad of bills from her pocket and into the bag. Hopefully that covers the cost of his recovery for whoever is lucky enough to keep that little boy._

 _The enraged pirate crew got up, leaving Luffy's bag of blocks behind them and ran out of the hospital, thinking apologies as they fled away from marines and away from Luffy. Some of the crew were crying or sobbing, but they continued to run and eventually sail away, far from this place, never to visit again. Luffy was officially not a part of their ragtag group anymore. It had been nice while it lasted._

A four year old boy (but mature for his age) with black hair and freckles watched and listened as those pirates talked about ditching the sick baby they brought in _._ It made him furious that someone would bring a deathly ill baby and leave without even saying goodbye. He was going to say something, calling them garbage, until he learned they were pirates. Why did pirates have a baby with them, and why would they risk exposure to make sure he was okay, only to leave him behind like he was nothing? All they left behind was a single bag with a stuffed bear and blocks that he watched them sign their names on.

As they ran out, to never be seen again by the baby, Ace brought over the blocks and sat down next to his foster mother, a kind woman named Makino. The two were waiting for Ace's brother, Sabo, to come out from his physical therapy in another part of the building. He had said he was a big boy and wanted to be do it on his own. Makino hadn't heard the whispered conversation between the pirates, so Ace had to tell her.

Ace dug out money from inside the bag. "Makino, there's a bunch of money in here. I think it's to pay for the little baby. He seemed really sick," Ace said sadly. Makino already knew what he was going to ask.

"Ace, we already have three others in the house. And the little guy could be very, very sick. It would be expensive," Makino said kindly, somewhat sad as well.

"But there's a bunch of money that could pay for it! And he's all alone now, like me and Sabo were. We can't just leave him," Ace tried to convince her. She was a very compassionate woman, and loved the kids she took care of, but there was only so much she could do as a single mother. She had to say no for what she thought was the good of the others. She shook her head a final time, disappointing Ace, who put the money back into the bag.

A man came out, asking for those who had brought in the sick child named Luffy. Of course they were gone, not leaving any trace of where they went. Another woman came out and said, "He's crying, where are they?"

 _That_ is what made Makino cave. That that little boy was all alone in the world, scared and hurt.

"I can help," Makino said suddenly as she stood up to go to the doctors. Ace followed, smirking.

The days after the escape on the Sunny were not pleasant ones. Some of the crew wanted to go back and say goodbye. Well, most of the crew. But Robin told them they couldn't. That Luffy was probably still in the hospital and there was no way they'd be able to visit without causing a problem for him or them all going to jail for being pirates. They hoped so much that someone had stepped forward for Luffy. They left him all alone in the world, probably terrified of everything around him. But they didn't go back.

They kept the rocking chair in the corner of the galley and pinned the picture Luffy had drawn of them on the wall. They didn't even know if Luffy had made it out of the surgery, but they couldn't bring themselves to consider that he didn't. He had survived being in a barrel floating by itself on the ocean all alone, hungry and thirsty. They had helped him, saved him twice. That had to be enough now.

The Luffy-less crew sailed on, free pirates without a care in the world again, though they'd never forget the little crewmate that touched their hearts.

 **Poor Luffy! But at least Ace is there. The start of a new family. Not such a bad chapter ending right? Review!**


	6. 15 Years Later

**Happy ending! Thanks for reading the story!**

15 years later

A seventeen year old boy ran through the streets of the rich town near his own home, heading across the island to the town he had grown up a lot of his life in. His two brothers followed him, running ahead of him through the jungle that they had spent the majority of their lives in. Their adoptive father, though he wanted them to call him "grandfather", had brought them to this island. He had long since left them with others to grow up, but they didn't mind. As long as the three were together and free, they were happy.

Luffy stretched his arms and rocketed himself through the trees, trying to outrun his brothers, Ace and Sabo, but failing. He felt he'd never beat them sometimes. But he was going to be the king of all pirates, so he had to be good enough to do so eventually.

They ran to the little village, forgotten by the rest of the island, populated by many windmills. They headed to the docks because Luffy had seen a pirate ship from their hideout in the trees. The other two followed him because they hated leaving Luffy by himself, since that's how they'd found him. Even though he was older now and fend for himself just fine, they never wanted him to feel alone, even a little bit. Though he had fully recovered from his sickness thanks to his Devil Fruit, they still saw him as the fragile little boy that he no longer was. Luffy didn't like that, but he knew it'd never change.

The three stood at the docks, watching an odd group of pirates exit the ship. The ship was odd as well. You don't really associate pirates with a lion's head, and the ship was colorful. Luffy loved it.

"What?! It's you people!" Ace unexpectedly shouted, shocked and suddenly very angry.

The crew on the Thousand Sunny were now all adults, though they still pirated like teenagers. They still loved adventure, and always would no matter how old they grew. They were on their way back to the grand line after visiting some of the crew's family in the East Blue. They had just left Nami's hometown and were docking in the sleepy Windmill village for supplies. They had not forgotten about Luffy, and often wondered where he was now. He'd be older now, since 15 years had passed. Would they ever see him again, and recognize him if they did?

They were talking and joking as they walked up the docks, until they heard: "What?! It's you people!"

They turned to the source of the shout and saw three teenagers. Two of them were obviously older teens, with one shorter black haired teenager with a straw hat. He and the older blond haired teen looked at the person who shouted in confusion. He knew these people?

"You know them?" Sabo asked.

"They're the people who ditched Luffy when he was sick!" Ace said angrily.

"What?!" Luffy and Sabo shouted. Ace was still furious with them. He would never forget the weeks where Luffy would scream and cry in his sleep, thinking he was all alone again. Twice he'd been abandoned. But Luffy didn't remember these people.

"Wait, they're the people on my blocks? Whoa! Look, a walking skeleton!" Luffy exclaimed, not really caring about the fact they left him. He didn't remember it and it had led to him being found by Ace and Sabo. "I was on a pirate ship when I was a baby?!" Luffy shouted in excitement. "Why did you never tell me?!"

Ace continued to glare at the shocked adults. "Because they abandoned you! Why would I tell you that? They left you while you were sick for three years!"

"Heeh... But they brought me to the hospital right? And then to you and Sabo," Luffy reasoned, trying to calm Ace down.

"Well… yeah. But still," Ace said, sounding a bit lame. "They just ditched you, no note, no goodbye, _nothing._ "

Meanwhile the crew were staring at the boys in shock, finally recognizing the middle one. He still had messy black hair and wide brown eyes, now with a scar under his left one. That was Luffy. The same baby they'd found floating in a barrel all those years ago. Grins broke out of each person's face.

"Come have dinner with us," a few of them said at the same time, all smiling.

Sanji would bake Luffy an apple pie that wasn't the size of a cupcake; Brook would play music for him; Nami and Robin would tell him what it had been like when he was on the ship; Zoro would see how strong he was now, or if he was still a little crybaby; Franky and Usopp would make him something; and Chopper would check him over, wanting to see if there was still anything wrong with Luffy (since he could now cure every sickness in the world) and then they would enjoy each other's company, including Luffy's two brothers. They would also explain themselves to Ace, since he was still so angry.

"Sure!" Luffy shouted, excited to meet pirates other than Shanks' crew. It sounded like it'd be an interesting dinner. No, Luffy would turn it into a party. A party with his second family he didn't remember.

~The End


End file.
